Dashain tika
The red tika and barley shoots given by elders to the young at Nepal's great festival.
Also: jamara
On the tenth day of Dashain, Nepal's biggest festival, families gather and the eldest member puts a tika of rice, curd and red powder on each person's forehead, with a blessing and a few sprouts of jamara, barley grown in the dark for nine days. The young bow and receive a gift of money. The festival lasts fifteen days, with kites, swings and the sacrifice or offering made to the goddess Durga. Millions of people travel home for the tika, buses are full, and families who cannot travel send blessings by phone. It is a time of reconciliation and food.
Region: South Asia