03/10/2024
Ghatasthapana marks the beginning of the Dashain festival, the most significant Hindu celebration in Nepal, occurring on the first day of the bright fortnight in Ashwin. The term combines "Ghata," meaning pot, and "sthapana," meaning to establish, symbolizing the placement of a sacred pot that invokes the goddess Durga. During this ritual, families clean their homes and set up an altar with a Kalash (a pot filled with holy water), adorned with flowers and a coconut. Seeds are sown in a mixture of sand and soil, where they germinate into Jamara, a sacred grass representing prosperity. Mantras are chanted to invite Durga's presence into the Kalash, which is believed to bless devotees throughout the festival. Dashain lasts for fifteen days, with the first nine celebrated as Navaratri, honoring different forms of Durga, culminating in Bijaya Dashami, a day symbolizing victory over evil and reinforcing family and community bonds through shared rituals and festivities.
