Nepal's greatest festival — fifteen days from jamara sowing to the great tika, when families reunite and elders bless the young. Exact Dashain dates for Ottawa and Canada, computed for your timezone.
When: Ashwin Shukla — beginning with Ghatasthapana and running to the full moon (September–October); exact Ottawa dates below
Duration: Fifteen days; the heart is Fulpati, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and the tika of Vijaya Dashami
Honours: Durga's victory over Mahishasura — Nepal's form of the Navratri–Vijayadashami season
Signature traditions: Jamara (barley shoots) grown from day one; the elder's tika of rice, yogurt and vermilion; kites, bamboo swings (ping), family homecomings
The greeting: Blessings flow strictly from elder to younger — Dashain is Nepal's great family reunion
Nepal's Great Fifteen Days
Dashain is the Nepali people's greatest festival — the same Goddess-victory the Indian calendar keeps as Navratri and Vijayadashami, expanded into fifteen days that empty Kathmandu's offices and fill every village with returning families. It opens with Ghatasthapana: a kalash is installed and barley seeds are sown in a dark room, growing into jamara — the pale golden shoots that will crown every blessing at the festival's end. The days build through Fulpati, when the sacred bundle of flowers and leaves arrives, and the fierce worship of Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami, when Durga's victory is honoured at its height and tools and vehicles receive their annual blessing — Nepal's form of Ayudha Puja.
The Tika of Vijaya Dashami
The festival's heart beats on the tenth day. Families gather — grandparents at the centre — and elders place the great Dashain tika on each younger forehead: rice mixed with yogurt and vermilion, pressed on generously, with sprigs of home-grown jamara tucked behind the ear and a blessing spoken over each head, often with dakshina pressed into young palms. The order is absolute: blessing flows from elder to younger, house to house, over days — many families travel through the whole week following Dashami to receive tika from every senior relative. Around the blessings, Dashain is joy at full volume: kites over every rooftop, towering bamboo swings (ping) that tradition says must lift your feet from the earth at least once a year, feasting, and new clothes. The exact Ottawa dates — from Ghatasthapana to the festival's close — are in the Festivals & Dates list on this page.
Dashain in Ottawa & Canada
Ottawa's Nepali community keeps Dashain warmly, and the festival adapts with surprising completeness. Jamara grows on any Canadian windowsill — barley or wheat seeds sown at Ghatasthapana (Indian grocers stock both) yield perfect shoots by Dashami in a dim corner. The tika gathering is the essential piece: families here host the elders they have, and video calls carry blessings from grandparents in Nepal — with the time difference, morning tika in Kathmandu reaches Ottawa the evening before, so many families keep both. The dates on this page are computed for Ottawa's timezone and can differ from Nepal's by a day. Nepali community organizations in Ottawa hold Dashain gatherings and cultural programmes — and our Navratri and Dussehra pages cover the same season's Indian observances for mixed families.
Each link opens our computed festival calendar with exact dates and timings for your city.
Questions
When is Dashain this year in Ottawa?
The exact Ottawa dates — from Ghatasthapana through the concluding full moon, computed for the Canadian timezone — are shown in the Festivals & Dates list on this page. They can differ from Nepal's dates by a day.
How is Dashain different from Navratri and Dussehra?
Same Goddess, same victory, same season — Dashain is Nepal's form of it, extended to fifteen days and centred on the family tika of Vijaya Dashami rather than Ravan Dahan. Mixed Nepali–Indian families often keep both sets of observances.
How do I grow jamara in Canada?
Sow barley (or wheat) seeds in a shallow tray of soil at Ghatasthapana and keep it in a dim room, watering lightly. Away from direct light the shoots grow tall and golden-pale — ready to crown the tika by Dashami.