Tika to Tihar

A short guide for guests

Culture & customs

What to do, what to say and what to eat during a festival month in Kathmandu.

Manners

Six things to get right

  1. 01

    Receive with the right hand

    Take tika money, food and gifts with your right hand, or both hands for something offered with respect. The left hand is for washing.

  2. 02

    Mind the jutho rule

    Don't offer a bite from your plate or drink straight from a shared bottle. Pour water into your mouth without touching the rim.

  3. 03

    Shoes off at thresholds

    Remove them before temples, shrines and most homes. Watch what locals do at the door.

  4. 04

    Walk clockwise

    Go round stupas, temples and prayer wheels with the monument on your right.

  5. 05

    Ask before photographing

    A family puja is private. At sacrifices and cremations, keep a respectful distance.

  6. 06

    Expect closures

    Around Tika day, many shops, offices and restaurants close and long-distance buses fill up. Tihar is easier; most places stay open.

Phrases

A few words of Nepali

People are delighted when a visitor tries. Tap a phrase to hear it, where your browser supports it.

EnglishSayNepaliWhen
Hello / goodbyeनमस्तेWith palms pressed together. Works all day.
Thank youधन्यवादFormal. A smile often does the same job.
How much is it?कति हो?The start of every bargain.
It's deliciousमीठो छThe best compliment for a host.
Enough, I'm fullपुग्योSay it before your plate is refilled again.
OK / fineहुन्छAgreement, in almost any situation.
WaterपानीDrink bottled or filtered water.
Happy Dashainदशैंको शुभकामनाThe greeting from 17 to 25 October.
Happy Tiharतिहारको शुभकामनाThe greeting from 6 to 11 November.
Food

What's on the plate

Calendar

It's 2083 in Nepal

Nepal's official calendar is Bikram Sambat, 56 to 57 years ahead of the Western one. The new year starts in mid-April, and months have 29 to 32 days. Festivals follow the moon, which is why their dates move every year. This trip runs from Ashwin 31 to Kartik 29, 2083.

  1. बैशाखBaisakhApr – May
  2. जेठJesthaMay – Jun
  3. असारAsarJun – Jul
  4. साउनShrawanJul – Aug
  5. भदौBhadraAug – Sep
  6. असोजAshwinSep – Oct
  7. कात्तिकKartikOct – Nov
  8. मंसिरMangsirNov – Dec
  9. पुसPoushDec – Jan
  10. माघMaghJan – Feb
  11. फागुनFalgunFeb – Mar
  12. चैतChaitraMar – Apr
Words

Words you'll hear

Tika टीका
A mark on the forehead. At Dashain it's red: rice, yogurt and vermilion mixed together.
Jamara जमरा
Yellow barley shoots grown in the dark from Ghatasthapana and given with the tika.
Dakshina दक्षिणा
A gift of money, given by elders along with the tika.
Saait साइत
The auspicious moment for a ritual, set each year by astrologers.
Changa चङ्गा
A kite. "Changa chet!" is the shout when you cut someone else's string.
Linge ping लिङ्गे पिङ
A tall bamboo swing built for Dashain in villages and city neighbourhoods.
Diyo दियो
A small clay oil lamp. Tihar is the festival of lamps.
Sayapatri सयपत्री
Marigold. Its name means "hundred petals". Every Tihar garland is made of it.
Makhamali मखमली
Globe amaranth, a purple flower that doesn't wilt. Sisters give their brothers garlands of it on Bhai Tika.
Sel roti सेल रोटी
A sweet ring of fried rice-flour batter, made in every kitchen at Tihar.
Deusi / Bhailo देउसी / भैलो
Groups who sing door to door at Tihar and bless the house in return for money and food.
Jutho जुठो
Food or drink that has touched someone's mouth, and so is ritually impure.
Puja पूजा
Worship: an offering of flowers, rice, incense and light to a god, at home or at a temple.
Bahal बहाल
A Newar courtyard built around a Buddhist shrine, often a former monastery.
Akash deep आकाशदीप
Lamps hung high on bamboo poles through the month of Kartik to guide the souls of ancestors.
Patro पात्रो
The Nepali calendar. Nepal uses Bikram Sambat, which is 56–57 years ahead of the Western calendar. This trip falls in 2083.
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