Dashain
| Dashain | |
|---|---|
Dashain commemorates Durga's slaying of the demon Mahishasura. | |
| Official name | बडादसैँ |
| Also called | Bijaya Dashami, Nauratha |
| Observed by | Nepalese and Indian Gorkha Hindus and Buddhists |
| Type | Religious, cultural |
| Significance | A festival commemorating the victory of good over evil |
| Celebrations | Marks the end of Durga Puja |
| Observances | Worshipping nine forms of Durga, visiting Shakti Pithas and pandals, organizing plays, visiting relatives, feasts, community gathering, recitation of scriptures, immersion of the idol Durga or burning of Ravana |
| Date | Ashvin or Kartika (September to November) |
| Related to | Vijaya Dashami |
Dashain or Bada'dashain, also known as Vijaya Dashami in Sanskrit, is a Hindu religious festival in Nepal, Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, South India, and Sri Lanka. It is also celebrated by other religions in Nepal and elsewhere, including the Lhotshampa of Bhutan and the Burmese Gurkhas of Myanmar. The festival is also known as Nauratha, derived from the Sanskrit word for the festival: Navaratri (Nine Nights).
The longest festival in the Bikram Sambat and Nepal Sambat annual calendars, it is celebrated by Nepali Hindus and their diaspora. In Nepal, the 15-day festival is the country's longest. People return from all parts of the world and different parts of the country to celebrate together. The festival falls in September or October, beginning on the Shukla Paksha (bright lunar night) of the month of Ashvin and ending on Purnima, the full moon. Of the fifteen days it is celebrated, the most celebrated are the first, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and fifteenth.