KATHMANDU (UCAN) -- Catholics in Kathmandu look forward to their holidays as Hindus celebrate their popular festival of Dashain, which commemorates a victory of the gods over demons.

A man worships at a temple in Kathmandu on Oct. 3, during the popular Hindu festival of Dashain.

Soma Rai Sitling, a parishioner of Assumption Church, the main parish in Kathmandu, told UCA News on Oct. 1 that she will celebrate the festival with her family and friends, socializing and feasting on a variety of food. Dashain began on Sept. 30, with public holidays in Nepal running from Oct. 6 to 14.

"This festival is a time when relatives from far and near get together given the almost 10-day-long vacation we get. As such, this is a time for all, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, to celebrate," Sitling said. She pointed out however, "We Catholics take this festival as an integral part of our culture and do not directly relate it to Hinduism."

According to Swami Govinda Rimal, Hindus worship the goddess Durga during the festival with offerings and animal sacrifices. The celebrations start on Ghatasthapana, the first day, when a kalash (pot) symbolizing Durga is placed in the prayer room. "The kalash is filled with holy water and covered with cow dung on which seeds of grain are placed," the Hindu priest told UCA News on Oct. 1.

The first nine days mark the battle between Durga and the demon Mahisasur, who, Hindus believe, terrorized the earth in the guise of a water buffalo, Swami Rimal narrated. The 10th day, celebrated on Oct. 9 this year, is the day when Mahisasur was slain. The remaining five days are celebrations of this victory.

In the run-up to the festival, every home is cleaned and decorated so as to invite Durga to bless it with good fortune. Markets are overcrowded with shoppers buying new clothes, gifts, supplies for offerings to the gods and foodstuffs for family feasting. Thousands of sheep, goats, ducks, chickens and water buffaloes are readied for slaughter.

Father Robin Rai, assistant parish priest of Assumption Church, told UCA News on Oct. 2 that the Church does not actually encourage Catholics to celebrate Dashain. "However, we cannot also deny them the celebrations. The festival is an integral part of our Nepali culture and we respect it," the ethnic Nepalese priest explained.

According to Father Rai, the parish has planned a three-day retreat for parishioners to better utilize their holidays. "We encourage all Catholics to attend the retreat, and not merely indulge in merrymaking during the festive season and forget the Lord altogether," he added.

Hindus worship at a temple in Kathmandu on Oct. 3, during the popular Hindu festival of Dashain.

Binod Gurung, president of Nepal Catholic Society, told UCA News while cleaning his house, "Like our Hindu brothers and sisters, we, too, have started the festival with giving our house a facelift." He continued: "We take Dashain as part of our rich culture. We don't, however, put the tika (rice and vermilion paste applied on the forehead) and worship Hindu deities."

Gurung recalled that Assumption Church once tried to incorporate the ritual of putting tika on the congregation during Dashain. "This was actually meant to be a sign of the elder blessing the younger ones, but the Church had to stop it following criticism from a number of quarters including the Protestants."

Archana Rai, another Assumption Church parishioner, said Dashain "always brings happiness to all Nepali people." Nevertheless, she qualified her remark. "As long as Catholics don't go to the temples and worship Durga, I feel it is absolutely OK to celebrate it with friends and family."

About 80 percent of Nepal's estimated 28 million people are Hindus, while the rest are mostly Buddhists, with small Muslim and Christian communities. According to the 2006 Nepal Catholic Directory, 1 million Christians live in the country, 7,500 of them Catholics.

Christians in Nepal have had freedom to practice their faith only since 1991, when a new constitution established religious freedom. Before that, conversion from one religion to another was illegal, with conversion or attempts to convert others considered criminal offenses and punishable by imprisonment. In 2006, parliament changed Nepal's status from a Hindu nation to a secular state.

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