Today, Monday, households across Nepal are celebrating Kukur Tihar by worshipping dogs. Due to the variation in lunar dates (tithi), Kukur Tihar and Laxmi Puja fall on the same day this year. Kukur Tihar is being observed in the morning, while Laxmi Puja will be celebrated in the evening.
Although Kukur Tihar typically falls on the second day of Yama Panchak (Tihar), this year it is being observed on the third day due to changes in the lunar calendar, according to the Nepal Panchang Nirnayaak Bikas Samiti. Committee member and Chairperson of the Department of Religious Scriptures at Valmiki Vidyapeeth, Prof. Dr. Devmani Bhattarai, explains that Narak Chaturdashi and Kukur Tihar are celebrated on the day when Chaturdashi falls during sunrise.
According to religious scholar Prof. Toyaraj Nepal, Kukur Tihar is celebrated based on the belief that on Kartik Krishna Chaturdashi, dogs should be offered delicious food. It is believed that Shyam and Sabal, the two gatekeeper dogs of Yamaraj, allow the path to the afterlife to open if they are worshipped with devotion.
In Hindu mythology, it is also said that a dog born in the lineage of Vaivasvata Manu accompanied Dharmaraj Yudhishthir on his journey to heaven. Dogs are considered loyal, obedient, and trustworthy guardians in Hindu tradition.
Early this morning, devotees took ritual baths in rivers, ponds, and holy places during the Arunodaya period and offered Tarpan. Lighting a Yama Dip (oil lamp) facing south and letting it float is believed to prevent the soul from experiencing hell after death, which is why this ritual is performed on Narak Chaturdashi.
This evening, the third day of Tihar, Laxmi Puja will be performed by worshipping Goddess Laxmi, the deity of wealth, prosperity, and fortune. Based on the belief that Goddess Laxmi does not reside in untidy homes, people cleaned and purified their houses early in the morning and decorated them with lights to invite her. Special decorations and lighting are done in windows, doors, rooms, courtyards, roofs, attics, and stairs.
The night of Kartik Krishna Aunsi, when Laxmi Puja is performed, is also known as Sukha Raatri. For Laxmi Puja, a sacred path is drawn from the main entrance to the puja room using cow dung and red clay. Footprints of Goddess Laxmi are made from rice flour and vermilion powder to symbolically invite her into the home.
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