Tihar is our busiest holiday. We clean the house and prepare a lamp-lit path and beautiful mandalas to entice Goddess Laxmi to visit Ama Ghar and bring prosperity. It is also the Festival of Lights. This year we also visited the Garden of Dreams in Kathmandu to see the light displays.
Maha Puja (Worshiping self) is a Newari tradition that Ama Ghar has always celebrated. It is a beautiful ceremony of being anointed with marigold petals and blessing ourselves. As you can imagine, this holiday is especially meaningful at Ama Ghar, where there is a great need to combat and overcome the feelings of abandonment.
The last celebration is Bhai Tika when sisters put a multicolored tika on their brothers and the brothers give their sisters money.
We were grateful to celebrate Tihar together at Ama Ghar. Enjoy some photos below!
