Welcoming Tihar: 19th crow gathering held in Kathmandu

The first day of Yamapanchak, popularly known as Tihar festival, is observed in Nepal as ‘Kaag Tihar’ dedicated to kaag (crow) by feeding the birds to recognize their role in human life.

Photo: Videograb/YouTube

NL Today

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Kathmandu: The 19th crow gathering concluded at Shanti Batika, Ratnapark in Kathmandu on Sunday. The event was held coinciding with ‘Kaag Tihar’, the first day of the five-day Tihar festival. Tihar is the second biggest festival of Nepali Hindus.

The first day of the festival is dedicated to the kaag (crow) by usually feeding the birds while recognizing their essential role in the life of humans. The Hindus consider the crow to be the messenger of Yama, the deity of death. The crow is believed to bring both good and bad messages.  It is thought that feeding crows on the day will bring good news to the person and the family. 

Photo: Videograb/YouTube

Organized by Green City Hospital, Basundhara, the gathering started by Ramesh Dulal, popularly known as ‘Kaage’ for imitating sounds of various 173 bird species, imitang sound of crows to gather them in one place.  He has been organizing the gatherings for the past 18 years. “We can talk to crows through its language. They will come to us if we imitate the sound of seeking help,” said Dulal.