Tihar festival begins today, Dhanteras being celebrated

Tihar, the second-largest festival for Nepalis, began today, Friday, Kattik 20. Dhanteras, the first day of the festival, is being celebrated today.

On Dhanteras, there is a tradition of buying new jewelry or metal utensils, bringing them home and worshipping them. In the ancient Mithila region, including Mahottari in the Madhes, there is a tradition of celebrating Dhanteras on the evening of the first day of Tihar with rows of lamps.

However, traders say the gold and silver trade this Dhanteras will not match that of previous years. According to them, orders have been lower, so they do not expect business on Dhanteras this year to be as high as in the past.