About the Festival

Soharai, also known as Tihar, is a sixteen-day festival celebrated after Dashain. It is a three-day festival during which the goddess Laxmi, the god of wealth and prosperity, and Yamaraj, the king of hell, are worshipped. During this festival, the Tharu community prepares rice flour bread and names it based on its shape. A bamboo pillar adorned with colorful flowers and an umbrella is erected in the courtyard. The household head initiates the worship by offering chicken, bread, and moda, a homemade wine made from rice. Furthermore, the cattle, particularly cows and oxen, are decorated and fed a liquid mixture prepared from whitegourd, sacred grass, rice husk, and salt, which was cooked the previous day.