To celebrate the most important days in Dashain, the Nepalese Student Association hosted Tika Night where students that are far from their families were able to participate in a Tika ceremony with their friends on campus.

Dashain is an important festival for Hindus in Nepal. The festival is 15 days long but starting on the tenth day, elders put Tika—a bright red powder that leaves a mark—on the foreheads of descendants within the family. 

This ceremonial act connects elders with the youth and preserves the long-standing tradition and culture of a family.  

“Even though I am away from my family, this event gave me a warm feeling of being connected,” freshman computer science major Sujan Mangarati said. “During the Tika ceremony, it felt as if I was in my home with my family.”

Dashain is called the festival of happiness in Nepal, and the NSA truly did its best to provide joy and happiness to students in celebration of Dashain. Every student that attended the event was living in the moment, happy and satisfied. 

Dashain holds great emotional value because all members of a family are reunited. Since all the students are away from their families, it is a difficult time for every Nepalese student.  

“As all the Nepalese missed this huge event and couldn’t celebrate with their family, celebrating it with ourselves gives us all a home-like feeling,” the President of the Nepalese Student Association Prinsha Shrestha said.

Along with the Tika ceremony, NSA distributed a popular Nepalese dish called “momo”. Freshman computer science major Ishant Shrestha enjoyed having a dish from home.

“The Tika is a different part, but the momo holds a separate emotion of its own,” Ishant Shrestha said.

Freshmen Nishu Shrestha and Sumi Timilsina performed a beautiful dance to Nepalese Folk songs. They danced to the traditional songs “Ghintang Ghintang” and “Din Dinai,” which was nostalgic for some.

Tika Night filled students’ hearts with happiness and their faces with warm smiles.