Next: 6 to 10 Nov 2026
Tihar
Nepal's festival of lights, in which crows, dogs, cows and oxen are each honoured in turn before the Bhai Tika.
When is Tihar in 2026?
Tihar 2026 runs from 6 to 10 November 2026. Other years: 2027, 27 to 31 October 2027; 2028, 15 to 19 October 2028.
About Tihar
Tihar, also called Deepawali or Yamapanchak, is a five-day festival which follows Dashain. On successive days, worshippers honour crows as messengers of Yama, dogs as guardians with garlands and tika, cows as the form of Lakshmi, and oxen, before the main evening of Lakshmi Puja, when oil lamps and candles light every doorway and shop front. Girls and women sing and dance the Deusi and Bhailo, going from house to house for gifts. In the Newar community, the fourth day is Mha Puja, a ritual of honouring the self. The final day is Bhai Tika, when sisters apply a seven-colour tika to their brothers and place long-lasting garlands of marigold on their heads.
Tihar dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Tihar date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 to 10 November 2026 |
| 2027 | 27 to 31 October 2027 |
| 2028 | 15 to 19 October 2028 |
What is eaten
- sel roti
- anarsa
- laddu
Traditions of Tihar
Also part of it, and being written: Bhai Tika (The sibling blessing on the last day.), Deusi Bhailo (The songs sung by visiting groups.).
More marked on Tihar
🇮🇳 Goa, India and 2 moreBhai Doojभाई दूज
A Hindu festival of sibling bonds marked by forehead markings, feasts and blessingsFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDhanterasधनतेरस (Hindi), धनत्रयोदशी (Sanskrit)
The first day of Diwali, a festival of lamps, health and wealth kept across India and Nepal.Festival
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLakshmi Pujaलक्ष्मीपूजा
A Hindu festival of lamps, prayers and offerings welcoming the goddess of prosperitySpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreRangoliरंगोली
Floor patterns of rice flour, sand or petals, drawn at the doorstep for festivalsCraft
🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreDhaka topiढाका टोपी
A patterned cotton cap worn across Nepal as part of the national dressDress
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Tihar (festival)" 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.
- Bhai Dooj: SandeshLamsalNepal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dhanteras: The original uploader was F16 at Hebrew Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mha Puja: Karrattul, Public domain, source
- Lakshmi Puja: Subharnab Majumdar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Rangoli: SreeramKalyan, CC0, source
- Dhaka topi: Sophie Graubert, CC BY-SA 3.0, source