The story behind Tihar
There are various stories behind the celebration of Tihar. One of the most famous stories behind the celebration of Tihar is related to Yama, the God of death and his sister Yamuna. Yama had been away from his sister for a long time. His sister wanted to see him again. She sent him a crow, a dog and a cow. In the end, she also went to see her brother herself. She worshipped him with tika and flowers by applying five-colored tikas onto his forehead. Yamuna made a circle with mustard oil, dubo (grass) and added makhmali mala (globe amaranth – a type of flower) and asked her brother not to leave until the oil, the dubo grass and the flowers dry. Therefore, sibings worship eachother. Tika is applied onto the brother’s forehead. Next, brothers apply tika onto their sisters’ foreheads in the same fashion and they exchange gifts. First Day of Tihar – Kaag Tihar (Crow Puja) On the first day of Tihar, crows are worshipped and fed early in the morning. People give the crows different foods. The