Ashwin Festival Nepal
Ashwin (September/October)
Dashain or Durga Puja: This 10-day festival is celebrated all over Nepal, honoring bountiful fertility and the conquest of evil. Normal life comes to a standstill as everyone attends to their religious and family duties. On Phulpati, the day of flowers, there is a procession to Hanuman Dhoka attended by the king; on the eighth and ninth days, there are massive numbers of ritual animal sacrifices, for every tool that is used during the year must be blessed. Shrines all over the country literally run with blood. On the final day, the palace is opened for all who wish to line up to receive a tika from the hands of the king or queen.
