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EveryParampara

Next: 11 to 25 Oct 2026

Dashain

Nepal's longest and biggest festival: jamara barley shoots, a family tika from elders, kites and swings.

Dashain: Nepal; Figure; Sculpture
Photo: Unknown author, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

When is Dashain in 2026?

Dashain 2026 runs from 11 to 25 October 2026. Other years: 2027, 30 September to 14 October 2027; 2028, 19 September to 3 October 2028.

About Dashain

Dashain, also called Bijaya Dashami, is the great autumn festival of Nepal and is kept across fifteen days from the first day of the bright fortnight of Ashwin. On the first day, barley seeds are sown in sand to grow jamara, the yellow shoots later worn on the head as blessings. Households put up swings made from bamboo and rope, and children fly kites. On the tenth day, elders of the family dab a mix of rice, curd and vermilion on the foreheads of younger relatives, adding a few jamara shoots and a gift of money. Families travel home from the cities and abroad to be together, and goats are traditionally offered to the goddess Durga.

Dashain dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

YearDashain date
202611 to 25 October 2026
202730 September to 14 October 2027
202819 September to 3 October 2028

What is eaten

  • goat curry
  • sel roti
  • kheer

Also part of it, and being written: Tika (The mark of blessing given by elders.), Jamara (The barley shoots grown for the festival.), Durga (The goddess honoured through the fifteen days.).

More marked on Dashain

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreSharad Purnima A Hindu autumn full moon festival of night vigils, moonlit sweets and sacred dancesSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreDhaka topiढाका टोपी A patterned cotton cap worn across Nepal as part of the national dressDress
About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Dashain" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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