KATHMANDU, Nov 4: Tihar brings to mind bright lights and sharing goodwill with everyone. We celebrate by praying not just to the Gods but to animals, too.
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As different parts of our country are illuminated to welcome the auspiciousness of the festival, you can do various things to make this Tihar more fun and satisfying.
Make garlands with your grandmotherWe celebrate different festivals during Tihar and that's when we consume a lot of flowers. We use plenty of garlands for various purposes like decorating our houses, to garland our deities, etc. Our mothers and grandmothers are usually the ones who buy the flowers and make the garlands. You can volunteer to do this chore leaving your mother free to do something else in the busy days leading up to Laxmi Puja. Use this as a special bonding moment with your grandma with whom you don't spend as much time as you would like to. In the evening, carry out hot tea and snacks in the balcony, and talk with your grandma as you make the garlands. Take this time to bond with her and share your thoughts.
Make candle lanterns at home
When Tihar comes around we all know that brighter is better. If colored electric bulbs, fairy lights, and diyos are not enough for the Tihar enthusiast in you, go for paper lanterns. These are available in the market but you can also try your hand in making them at home. There are plenty of instructions accessible through the Internet and you should find it easy to make a couple of interesting ones for your home. These are perfect for lighting outdoor areas. You need to make sure that the materials you use are strong and safe, and you are good to go.
Make rangoli for your neighbors
Rangolis are said to bring good luck. This year, celebrate the festival of lights by making a colorful piece for your home and also for your neighbor or relative. After finishing yours at home, see if anyone in the neighborhood or any of your relative would like to have one for them. You can choose to help those who don't have anyone to make rangolis at their houses. This way you are helping to spread happiness and make people's lives brighter.
Paint the diyos
We normally use a lot of clay diyos for prayers and to light up the house. The diyos are earthy in color and we use them as it is. But if you're the sort who likes colorful or eclectic things, why don't you try painting the diyos in different colors to add some charm? You can also put in some patterns to make it more fun. If the task of painting every diyo is too much for you, stick to the couple that you will put in prominent places around the house. You can purchase bigger diyos that will flood the market in the coming days. You can find street hawkers selling them in different sizes in the local chowks and bazaars.
Learn to make selroti/anarsa
Selroti is a big part of Tihar celebrations and so is the delicious anrasa. If you haven't learnt how to make selroti yet, ask your mother to give you lessons this year. Learning to cook this traditional snack means you don't have to wait for Tihar to devour them. You can cook them any time of the year. The same for anrasa. Both the snacks take time to prepare but are worth the effort and the wait. You can distribute them among your neighbors, too.
Visit an orphanage/old age home
Gather some friends or siblings and plan to visit an orphanage and/or an old age home during Tihar. Festivals are all about sharing joy with each other and what better way than to spend time with children and old people who might be missing having loving people around. If you can't afford to buy new clothes for them, collect the ones you don't need at home and distribute them. But make sure that they are still in good shape. You can do the same with toys and books. Take snacks if you can. Spend the day with them or help the administrators of the orphanage and the old age home decorate the places. The visit will leave both parties with a warm glow.
