Dashain: what it is and how the diaspora celebrates

What Dashain is

Dashain is a 15-day festival. In 2026 it runs from Sunday, October 11 through Sunday, October 25.

The festival opens with Ghatasthapana. On that day, families set up a kalash — a sacred vessel filled with holy water that invokes the goddess Durga — at a home altar or shrine, and they sow jamara seeds around or beside it, often at an auspicious hour set by astrologers.

The tenth day, Vijaya Dashami, is the climax of the whole festival. It is the day families gather for tika. The festival closes on its fifteenth day, Kojagrat Purnima.

Dashain 2026 dates (2083 BS)

These dates come from the official 2083 BS calendar published by the Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak (Vikas) Samiti — Nepal’s calendar authority — as reported by Nepali media in mid-February 2026.

• Ghatasthapana (day 1, jamara sowing) — Sunday, October 11 (Asoj 25)
• Fulpati (day 7) — Saturday, October 17 (Asoj 31)
• Maha Ashtami (day 8) — Sunday, October 18 (Kartik 1)
• Maha Navami (day 9) — Tuesday, October 20 (Kartik 3)
• Vijaya Dashami — tika day (day 10) — Wednesday, October 21 (Kartik 4)
• Kojagrat Purnima (day 15, festival close) — Sunday, October 25 (Kartik 8)

Tika time (sait): the Samiti announces the exact auspicious tika time closer to the festival. As of July 9, 2026, it has not been announced — we will update this guide the day it is. Be careful with any specific time you see circulating before the official announcement.

All dates above follow Nepal’s official calendar. Calendar apps and temple listings that follow other traditions may show a different day for some of the later festival days — when in doubt, this guide follows the official Nepali calendar. For US time zones and the Tihar dates, see the Dashain and Tihar 2026 US date/time guide.

How tika day works

On Vijaya Dashami, elders put tika and jamara on younger relatives and speak blessings over them. The family’s oldest member leads the ceremony, and blessings flow from senior to junior relatives.

The jamara placed with tika — on the head or behind the ears in many families — is the pale-yellow sprouts grown from the seeds planted on day one: mainly barley, often mixed with wheat and maize, and in some families rice. Receiving it is receiving Durga’s blessing.

Along with tika and blessings, elders hand younger family members dakshina — a gift of money. The amount varies by age and relationship.

Tika-giving does not end on the tenth day — many families keep giving and receiving tika for about five more days, until Kojagrat Purnima.

Celebrating in the US

Tika day in 2026 is Wednesday, October 21 — a midweek day. If you want it free for family, plan ahead: ask for PTO, or ask your school about an excused absence for a religious observance. Policies differ by district and employer, so check yours early.

For gatherings near you, check the events listings and the festival calendar as the season gets closer.

If your family is split between the US and Nepal

The official tika time (sait) is set by Nepal’s calendar committee and announced close to the festival — it had not been announced as of July 9, 2026. Check back here once it is out; we will post it the day it lands.

If your elders are in Nepal and you are in the US, pick your call time around tika day — Wednesday, October 21, 2026 in Nepal. Agree on the plan early, because everyone’s tika day is busy.

Glossary

• Dashain — a 15-day festival; in 2026, October 11–25.
• Ghatasthapana — day 1, when the kalash is established and jamara seeds are sown.
• Kalash — the sacred vessel, filled with holy water, that invokes the goddess Durga at the family’s Dashain altar.
• Jamara — pale-yellow seedlings sprouted from seeds (mainly barley, often with wheat and maize) sown on day 1; given out with tika as Durga’s blessing.
• Tika — the blessing mark an elder places on a younger relative’s forehead on Vijaya Dashami.
• Vijaya Dashami — day 10 and the climax of Dashain; the tika day. In 2026: Wednesday, October 21.
• Sait — the auspicious tika time announced by the Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak (Vikas) Samiti, Nepal’s official calendar body; the 2026 sait is not yet announced.
• Dakshina — a money gift elders hand to younger family members along with tika and blessings.
• Maha Ashtami — day 8; in 2026: Sunday, October 18.
• Maha Navami — day 9; in 2026: Tuesday, October 20.
• Fulpati — day 7; in 2026: Saturday, October 17.
• Kojagrat Purnima — the closing 15th day; in 2026: Sunday, October 25.
• BS / Bikram Sambat — the calendar era of Nepal’s official annual calendar (patro); Dashain 2026 falls in the BS year 2083.