KATHMANDU, NEPAL, November 2, 2012 (Hornsby Advocate): Kathmandu was a ghost town last Wednesday. “The streets would be all empty; everyone’s gone back to their villages,” said Mitra Pariyar, who marked Dashain, Nepal’s holiest Hindu festival, with his family in Hornsby. More than 100 local Nepalese families did likewise.
The 15-day festival celebrates the mythological victory of good over evil and the triumph of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. Traditionally, Dashain is marked by visiting older relatives for a meal and a blessing on the 10th and most important day, which was last Wednesday. “This is like Christmas for us,” Mr. Pariyar said. “It’s about reuniting and re-establishing the kinship ties.”