Nepal and the hills, autumn
It is the longest festival of the Nepali year, fifteen days that end at the full moon, and it falls as the autumn skies clear. Here is what it is, and what changes for a traveler while it runs.
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When it falls
Dashain moves with the lunar calendar. In 2026 it opened with Ghatasthapana on 11 October, gave the tika on 21 October and ended at the full moon on 25 October. Each year's days are checked against the almanac.
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Day 1 and day 7
On the first day barley is sown in a dark room, and it comes up pale yellow as jamara. On the seventh, Phulpati, jamara and flowers are carried in; in Darjeeling they come in procession to music, and Lakhe dancers work the bazaar.
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Tika day
Elders give red tika and jamara with their blessing, and by mid morning the roads fill with people carrying gifts to their parents' houses. Most of Dashain happens indoors, so ask before you photograph any of it.
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In the Kathmandu valley
Offices and many shops close for a week. The squares empty of locals and fill instead with families home from abroad. Plan your valley days knowing that many shop doors will be closed.
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Getting there
With Tihar a few weeks behind it, Dashain fills the valley's hotels and flights before anything else in the year. If your dates touch either festival, ask early, and keep a little slack around every flight.
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Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Gangtok
Dashain is kept in every Gorkha home in Darjeeling and Kalimpong, where shops close towards the end. In Gangtok, offices shut for days while the shops on MG Marg trade until late. Durga Puja fills the same weeks.
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What is on the table
Families make sel roti by the basket for Dashain and send it round to relatives, because it keeps for two weeks in a tin. In the valley, Newar families lay out samay baji on leaf plates, with beaten rice at the center.
Photo: Sajan Rajbahak
Planning
Skies clear and the peaks return as Dashain runs. Your driver and guide keep the same festival, so at the planning stage you hear which days they have asked to be at home, and who is with you instead.
Photo: Volker Meyer / Pexels