10 famous Quotes about Nepal

• Heaven is a myth, Nepal is real.
• “Chasing angels or fleeing demons, go to the mountains.” - Jeffrey Rasley
• “The mountains were so wild and so stark and so very beautiful that I wanted to cry. I breathed in another wonderful moment to keep safe in my heart.” - Jane Wilson Howarth
• “… everything was fresh, green and particularly beautiful. Afternoon light, filtering between remnants of monsoon clouds, picked out gullies and spot-lit patches of forest and scrub on the convoluted ridges of the rim of the Kathmandu Valley. Or, after a rainstorm, wisps of clouds clung to the trees as if scared to let go. Behind, himals peeked out shyly between the clouds.” - Jane Wilson-Howarth

Harmful Effects of Fireworks in Tihar

Fireworks is often used for celebrating various national and cultural events all over the world. Tihar or Dipawali in Nepal, Diwali Festival in India, Yanshui Festival in Taiwan, Montreal International Fireworks competition, Lantern Festival in Beijing, Guy Fawkes Night in the United Kingdom etc. are the festivals celebrated with fireworks.

If you ask me we should think twice before buying fireworks in Dipawali. This is not the way to celebrate this beautiful festival. There can be many alternatives of fireworks. We can buy gifts, books, gadgets or cloths which are less harmful for nature as compared to firecrackers.  Considering the effects of fireworks on health and environment we should avoid the use of fireworks & look for alternatives. 

Harmful effects of fireworks in tihar:

• On this auspicious occasion unknowingly harmful gases and toxic substances released to environment by bursting fireworks such as Barium, Cadmium, Sodium, Mercury, Nitrate and Nitrite. These are called as Air pollutants. High level of pollutants cause various respiratory tract diseases and skin diseases.
• Need of electricity goes high in this period. To overcome shortage of electricity majorly electricity generated by using diesel, Coal etc. that also causes air pollution.

Tihar

Tihar is second biggest festival celebrated in Nepal after Dashain. Tihar is also known as Deepawali in Terai and Diwali in India. Tihar is five day long festival which is celebrated 20 days after Dashain(Dashami). People light their houses with ‘diyos’ and many other lighting bulbs inside and outside their house. We can see whole Nepal lighting better than ever in a whole year during this festival.The five long day festival begins with worship of crow, followed by worship of dog in second day, laxmi puja in third day, govardhan puja in day four and ends with bhaitika on the fifth day. The festival marks the turn of year in Lunar Calendar, Nepali Sambat. 

There are various stories behind the celebration of Tihar. One of the famous stories behind the celebration of tihar is related to Yama the god of death and his sister Yamuna. Yama had been staying away from his sister for a long time. His sister wanted to meet him so she asked various sources to visit him and ask him to give her a visit. She sent crow, dog, and cow and at the end she went herself to see her brother. She worshipped him with tika and flowers, she put him five colored tika. Yamuna made a circle with mustard oil, Dubo Grass (Cynodon Dactylon) and put Makhmali Mala (Globe Amaranth) and asked Yamaraj not to go till the oil, Dubo Grass and the flower gets dry. Therefore, every sister worships her brother keeping him in the circle of mustard oil, putting mala (garland) of Makhmali flower and Dubo grass.