Several hundred party-goers, mostly international students from the Asian subcontinent, met Nov. 12 in the Chestnut Room of Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center to celebrate the festivals of Dashain and Tihar.
“Dashain & Tihar Night” was presented by YSU’s Nepalese Student Association.
Upbeat Nepalese music filled the expansive room as students performed classically-inspired dances in colorful traditional dress.
Classically trained dancer Manav Desai, a YSU sophomore from India now in the pre-med program, performed the “Tandava,” a dance in honor of the god Shiva. Depictions of Shiva frequently show him dancing the “Tandava.” The dance itself symbolizes the forces of destruction and rejuvenation.
It was such a fast and energetic dance that Desai was forced to leave the small stage at the head of the room and spin across the floor mere feet from the audience. The applause was thunderous.
Desai plans to immigrate permanently to the United States after he finishes his medical studies. “It has been a great experience moving here,” he says.
Others performed original dances composed of traditional moves set to pop-music from Nepal.
Young women danced in flowing, brightly colored dresses. Their male counterparts performed in traditional kurta pajamas beneath western-style sport coats. Sometimes, to add a little drama, performers mouthed the lyrics like contestants in a lip-sync contest.
Their fellow YSU students cheered and applauded throughout. Spirits were high among the guests. A number of American students also took part.
“Being international students who are away from home is more difficult during the time of festivities, but we as a community try to celebrate it. Sharing our culture with Americans and people from all around the world is a pleasure to us,” said Sashank Pandey, Nepalese Student Association president.
“The support we have been receiving since NSA was started has been amazing and we hope for continuous love as we strive for a better involvement, management and representation,” he added. Pandey is a YSU sophomore studying accounting.
The festivities were a combination of two major Nepalese holidays, the festival of Dashain and the festival of Tihar.
Dashain is a major Hindu public holiday celebrated in Nepal, Southern India, and Sri Lanka from Nov. 11-16. It celebrates the victory of the goddess Durga over Mahishasura, an evil shape-shifter whose name means “buffalo demon.”
Durga’s victory over Mahishasura symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. The 10 days of celebration represent the length of their battle.
Durga is also a creation of the combined energy of all the gods, and she wields a weapon gifted from each of them. Her portrayal is often of a many-armed woman, every hand bearing a weapon while she is smiling and dancing.
“For us, Dashain is like Christmas is for you,” said Anjila Adhikari, a freshman in the pre-nursing program at YSU. “This is our biggest celebration all year.”
The second festival, Tihar, is a five-day event that celebrates lights and colors. It features the worship of the god Yama, who represents death, and goddess Lakshmi, who represents wealth.
“The festival is also about tika and jamara,” said Shreejan Bhandari, a YSU sophomore studying electrical and computer engineering. He served as co-master of ceremonies.
Bhandari and Adhikari are friends from Nepal.
“Tika” and “jamara” refer to the traditional blessings of the elders. Tika is a mixture of yogurt, rice, and vermillion; jamara translates as barley grass from the Kannada language spoken in India. The resulting paste is a bright red color which celebrants wear on their foreheads to symbolize protection, good fortune, and consciousness. Virtually every person at the festival wore the blessing.
“This is a blessing for a long and prosperous life, a blessing for education and health,” Bhandari reminded the audience.
Appropriately, the evening ended with a feast of traditional Indian and Nepalese dishes catered by Choolah.
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