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尼泊尔达善节：提卡、贾马拉与家庭纽带

During Dashain, Nepal’s longest and most important festival, families reunite from Kathmandu to remote Himalayan villages.
Elders apply tika—a mixture of yogurt, rice, and vermilion—on younger relatives’ foreheads to bless health and success.
They also gift jamara, sprouted barley grown indoors for nine days, symbolizing growth, resilience, and divine favor.
Before receiving tika, youth bow deeply and touch elders’ feet, who then whisper blessings in Sanskrit or Nepali.
Kite flying fills skies nationwide, with strings coated in powdered glass to cut rivals’ lines—yet laughter replaces anger.
Temples overflow with devotees offering goats and buffaloes, though many now donate money or plant trees instead.
Schools close for fifteen days, allowing children to help prepare sweets and mend ancestral photo frames.
Even migrant workers send cash home early so mothers can buy new clothes and decorate doorways with marigold garlands.
On Vijaya Dashami, the final day, families gather for feasts featuring goat curry and sel roti—ring-shaped rice doughnuts.
As dusk falls, elders recount myths of Goddess Durga’s victory, linking courage to everyday acts of care.