Blessings to Ourselves and Our Brothers

children Uncategorized

The last two celebrations of Tihar are the most beautiful: Mha Puja, the celebration of the self and Bhai Tika, the blessing of our brothers. At Mha Puja, each of us is seated before a beautiful place setting of fruit, flowers, treats and candles as we say prayers to purify and empower our souls for the coming year and share …

Bringing in the Light

children Uncategorized

Any holiday that celebrates good over evil and light over darkness is certainly welcome in our 2020 world… at Ama Ghar, we are celebrating the Festival of Light, called Tihar in Nepal, with many special rituals. We have created a path of candles for the goddess Laxmi, goddess of luck and prosperity, to come into our home, and we have …

Tihar 2076 – Beautiful!

children Uncategorized

One of the most beautiful celebrations in the Nepali culture is the Newari tradition of Mha Puja – celebration of the self. Everyone in the family shares a celebratory feast and the feeling of love during Mha Puja at Ama Ghar is overwhelming. The fifth day of Tihar is Brothers’ Day when sisters put tika on their brothers’ foreheads and …

Laxmi’s Path Leads Home

children Uncategorized

Laxmi Puja takes place on the third day of Tihar and is the beginning of our celebration at Ama Ghar – and we also celebrate our faithful Ama Ghar dogs with a Kukur Tihar right before that. Laxmi is the goddess of wealth and Vishnu’s wife. To prepare for her visit to our home to bestow blessings, we clean the …

Ama Ghar Celebrates the Festival of Lights

children Uncategorized 1 Comment

The Festival of Lights, known as Tihar in the Kathmandu Valley, was happily celebrated last week by the Ama Ghar kids, their aunties and uncles and visitors. The most beautiful ceremony of the entire festival is the Newari tradition of Mha Puja, or celebration of the self. At this event, intricate and beautiful designs are drawn on the floor where …

Holiday Traditions at Ama Ghar

children Uncategorized 1 Comment

We love to celebrate the Nepali festivals at Ama Ghar, as performing these rituals bonds us as a family of various religious and ethnic backgrounds. Traditionally, the festival season starts right after the rice harvest, with a 10-day family holiday of Dashain. Most of the children have aunts, uncles and cousins in their villages, so as many of them as …