Dogs are considered the best friends of man in various parts of the world and in Nepal they recognize how special they are, there during the second day of the festival “Tihar” people dedicate themselves to venerate the dogs, offering them wreaths of flowers and goodies , they are sung to them, they are recited mantras and also they are roseados with colored powders.
The Tihar festival is also known as Deepawali or “the Hindu festival of lights”, is held in autumn and lasts five days in a row, each of these days has a “protagonist”, among whom we find crows, dogs and cows. The day the dogs are venerated is known as “Kukur Tihar”.
Nepal devotes a whole day to venerating dogs at the “Tihar” festival
In this festival it does not matter if they are homeless dogs or if they have family, they are all treated as if they lived in paradise and were the messengers of Lord Yamaraj, the Hindu god of death.
Garlands are a sign of respect for animals and they are usually marked on their front with “Tika”, a paste of rice, yogurt and red coloring, this means that it is an animal object of holiness and devotion, in addition of being a blessing.
With this celebration happens a decrease of the terrible cases of animal abuse that are news in the day to day.
More info: Notas de Mascotas | The Dodo | ABC