Kukur Tihar (Dog Festival)

Dogs are thought to serve as Lord Yamaraj’s (God of Death) messengers and guardians. Dogs perform an important function as the guardians of the grave. According to legend, dogs guide the souls of the deceased through the underworld and across the river of death.

(A fun fact about Dogs: Samara, the mother of dogs, helped Indra, the king of heaven, recover livestock that had been stolen even in ancient Hindu texts such as the Rigveda.)

To honor everything dogs do, Kukur Tihar exists. It is the day when people celebrate dogs, by worshiping them and showing immense gratitude. People worship dogs with flower garlands, apply red tikas on their foreheads, and offer them food. Because of this custom, people enjoy the presence of dogs every day and if you walk across the streets of Nepal, you can find people of every age playing with the dogs, offering them something to eat, or simply caressing them.

There is a popular saying, “Dogs are man’s best friend.” and it is utmost true in Nepal.

Therefore, Kukur Tihar is evidently a day we honor our non-human best friend.

Why Should you Travel to Nepal during Kukur Tihar?

There is perhaps not a single person who hasn’t seen a dog. But how many people are there who have seen a dog being worshiped? Very few! Kukur Tihar offers you the chance to see this phenomenon.

The most beautiful part of this festival is that there are no exceptions, each dog, whether home-owned or stray, receives special treatment. Even police dogs get a day off and can feel the holiday spirit. And for the police dogs, there is a special march designed to mark the festival.

Not only will you be able to observe all these events, but you will realize something unique. In Nepal, there are mortal Gods and goddesses or simply said, Nepalese have gratitude for everything and everyone.