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NEPAL Catholics join Hindus in celebrating 'festival of lights'
16-10-2009
KATHMANDU (UCAN) -- Catholics in Kathmandu are all set to join hands with their Hindu compatriots in celebrating their major Tihar festival, which commemorates the victory of light over darkness.
The five-day-long festival in Hindu-majority Nepal begins on Oct. 16, and is equivalent to India's Diwali, which starts Oct. 17.
"As the festival holds special cultural importance, all Nepalese, irrespective of their faiths join in the celebrations as one community," Father Robin Rai, parochial vicar at the Church of the Assumption, told UCA News.
"Though there will be no official statement from the Church wishing our Hindu brothers and sisters on the occasion, I personally would like to wish them a happy and safe Tihar," he said.
During the festival, houses are decorated with electric lamps, and candles and oil lamps are placed on windowsills and verandas. People celebrate by feasting on meat and sweets.
Father Rai said that officially, the Church does not light lamps or candles to mark the festival but parishioners do celebrate the festival in their homes and with relatives.
Rosemary Giri, a Catholic girl, says she will light candles and diyos (oil lamps) in her home "like our Hindu brothers and sisters."
"As we have always taken this festival to be a time of merry-making rather than the worshipping of gods and goddesses, I plan to celebrate it with gusto this year too," Giri told UCA News.
The course of the Nepalese festival follows a journey from darkness to light, with symbols of death in the form of crows on the first day and dogs, the traditional guards of the underworld on the second, giving way to the lighting of lamps on the third and main day of the festival.
The fourth day is dedicated to Yama, the god of death, to whom people pray for long life. On the final day, called Bhai Tika, women and girls place tika (a paste of rice and vermillion) on the foreheads of their brothers and wish them long life and happiness.
In Pokhara, a scenic town about 200 kilometers west of Kathmandu, male parishioners will gather at the Catholic church here to receive tika from nuns on Oct. 19.
"Though the celebration will not be exactly like our Hindu brothers' and sisters', nuns of congregations like the Missionaries of Charity and the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod will put tika on the foreheads of male parishioners," said Simon Lama, a parishioner.
Annie Fitzpatrick, a parishioner of Assumption Church here, said she is eagerly waiting for Bhai Tika to come so that she can show her love and respect for her brothers.
"This is the time to make merry, enjoy the holidays and show our respect to my brothers by putting tika on their foreheads," said Fitzpatrick, a schoolteacher. "All this is part of our rich culture and we have been marking the occasion along with the Hindus for ages."
Ruben Shrestha, another Catholic, said he celebrates Tihar as all his family members are Hindus. "My Hindu parents celebrate the occasion, worshipping the various gods and goddesses and feasting on a variety of food and decorating our house. Except for the worshipping part, I join in the celebrations with them," said Shrestha.
http://www.ucanews.com/2009/10/16/catholics-join-hindus-in-celebrating-f...
