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Paul Ang
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2012 Kathmandu
2012 Kathmandu

Before the tragic earthquake

The ninth day is called Nawami: Temples of mother goddess are filled with people from dawn till dusk. Animals mostly black buffaloes are slaughtered to honour Durga the goddess of victory and might and to seek her blessing. Military bands play war tunes, guns boom and officers with beautifully decorated medals in full uniform stand there. When the function ends the courtyard is filled ankle deep with blood. On this very day the god Vishwa Karma, the God of creativity is also worshiped. All factories, vehicles, any machinery instruments and anything from which we make a living are worshiped. We also give sacrifices to all moving machinery like cars, aeroplanes, trucks etc. to get the blessing from goddess Durga for protection for vehicles and their occupants against accidents during the year. The entire day is colourful.

The tenth day is the Dashami: On this day we take tika and jamara from our elders and receive their blessing. We visit our elders in their home and get tika from them while our younger ones come to our home to receive blessing from us. The importance of Dasain also lies in the fact that on this day family members from far off and distant relatives come for a visit as well as to receive tika from the head of the family. This function continues for four days. After four days of rushing around and meeting your relatives Dashain ends on the full moon day, the fifteenth day. In the last day people stay at home and rest. The full moon day is also called 'Kojagrata' meaning 'who is awake'. The Hindu goddess of wealth Laxmi is worshipped. On this day the goddess Laxmi is given an invitation to visit each and everyone.

After Dashain everyone settles back to normal. After receiving the blessing of goddess Durga, people are ready to work and acquire virtue, power and wealth. Dashain thus is not only the longest festival but also the most anticipated one among all the festivals of Nepal.

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Taken on: October 23, 2012
Tags: Everybody's photos tagged with Kathmandu Kathmandu Everybody's photos tagged with Nepal Nepal Everybody's photos tagged with dashain dashain
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Camera: Sony NEX-7, f/6.3, 1/400 sec, 69mm (=103mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Sony NEX-7
Lens: E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS
Aperture: f/6.3
Exposure Time: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length: 69mm (35mm equivalent: 103mm)
ISO: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Program: Portrait
Exposure Mode: Auto
Metering Mode: Multi-segment
White Balance: Auto
Scene Capture Type: Portrait
Sharpness: Hard
Color Space: Uncalibrated
Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.3 (Macintosh)
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