Dashain 2026: Dates (Ghatasthapana 11 October, Tika 21 October), Fulpati, Jamara and How Nepal Celebrates

Quick answer: Dashain 2026 began with Ghatasthapana on Sunday 11 October. Nepal's public holiday runs from 17 to 23 October, Bijaya Dashami tika is on Wednesday 21 October, and the festival ends on Kojagrat Purnima, 25 October.

Dashain (Bada Dashain, Vijaya Dashami) is the biggest festival of the year in Nepal and among Nepali-speaking Hindus in India, Bhutan and around the world. It is the Nepali celebration of Navratri and Vijayadashami: fifteen days that begin with Ghatasthapana, reach their height with the worship of Goddess Durga, and culminate on Bijaya Dashami, when elders place tika and jamara on the foreheads of younger family members and give their blessings. This guide gives the 2026 dates and explains the main days.

Dashain 2026 dates

Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs list of public holidays for 2083 BS gives Ghatasthapana on Sunday 11 October 2026 (2083/06/25) and a Dashain holiday from Saturday 17 October to Friday 23 October 2026 (2083/06/31 to 2083/07/06) (MoHA list via Pradhan Law). The ministry published the list on 2 March 2026; it applies to government offices and public bodies.

The auspicious time (sait) for Bijaya Dashami tika is fixed each year by Nepal's Panchang Nirnayak Vikas Samiti and published in the Nepali patro; check the official announcement or your family's priest for the exact minute.

In India, Darjeeling, Sikkim and other Nepali-speaking areas mark the same days. The Reserve Bank of India's October 2026 holiday list includes "Vijaya Dasami/Durga Puja (Dasain)" on 21 October and "Durga Puja (Dasain)" on 22 and 23 October in the centres that observe it (RBI holiday list).

The main days of Dashain

Ghatasthapana: sowing the jamara

On the first day, families install a kalash representing Goddess Durga and sow barley (and sometimes maize) in a dedicated, darkened puja room. The shoots that grow over the next nine days, the jamara, are watered and worshipped each day. This is the same Ghatasthapana that opens Navratri across India; see our Navratri 2026 complete guide.

Fulpati: the sacred flowers

On the seventh day, Fulpati (or Phulpati), a sacred bundle of flowers, leaves and plants representing the Goddess is brought into homes. In Kathmandu, the royal Fulpati was traditionally carried from Gorkha to Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu Durbar Square, and the ceremonial procession continues there as a public event.

Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami

The eighth and ninth days are devoted to the fierce forms of the Goddess, with worship at Durga temples across Nepal. On Navami, many families and businesses also honour their tools and vehicles, much like Ayudha Puja in South India; see our Maha Navami 2026 guide.

Bijaya Dashami: tika and jamara

The heart of Dashain is the tenth day. Elders mix rice, yoghurt and red vermilion into tika and place it on the foreheads of younger relatives, put jamara behind their ears, and give blessings and dakshina. Families visit one elder after another over the following days, until Kojagrat Purnima. It is the time of year when relatives travel home, new clothes are worn and kites fill the sky.

Kojagrat Purnima

Dashain ends on the full moon, Kojagrat Purnima, which is devoted to Goddess Lakshmi. Many families keep vigil through the night. In 2026 it falls on Sunday 25 October.

Food, swings and kites

Dashain is also a festival of family feasts, bamboo swings (ping) set up in villages, kite flying and new clothes. Food customs vary by community and family; many households prepare special dishes for the visiting relatives, and vegetarian families keep vegetarian feasts.

Dashain for Nepali families abroad

Nepali communities in the Gulf, Malaysia, the UK, the USA, Australia and Japan hold community Dashain programmes, usually on the nearest weekend, and many families receive tika over video calls from elders in Nepal. Because Nepal is 5 hours 45 minutes ahead of GMT, the official tika sait falls at night or in the early morning in the Americas; most families abroad receive tika in the morning of Bijaya Dashami local time or at the community gathering. Our guide to Dussehra in Nepal gives the Vijayadashami muhurat for Nepali cities, and our NRI Dussehra guide covers celebrating abroad.

Dashain and Dussehra

Dashain and Dussehra share the same days and the same meaning, the victory of the Goddess and of dharma over evil, but their customs differ. In North India the tenth day is marked by Ravana Dahan; in Bengal by Durga Visarjan and Sindoor Khela; in Nepal by tika, jamara and blessings from elders. See how India celebrates Navratri for the Indian traditions.

Frequently asked questions

When is Dashain 2026?

Dashain 2026 runs from Ghatasthapana on Sunday 11 October to Kojagrat Purnima on Sunday 25 October. Nepal's government holiday is from 17 to 23 October.

When is Dashain tika in 2026?

Bijaya Dashami, the main tika day, is on Wednesday 21 October 2026. The exact sait (auspicious time) is fixed by Nepal's Panchang Nirnayak Vikas Samiti.

When is Fulpati 2026?

Saturday 17 October 2026, the seventh day of Dashain and the first day of the government holiday.

What is jamara?

Jamara are the barley shoots sown on Ghatasthapana and grown for nine days. On Bijaya Dashami elders place them behind the ears of younger relatives along with tika.

Is Dashain the same as Dussehra?

They are the same festival days with the same meaning, but customs differ: tika and jamara in Nepal, Ravana Dahan in North India, Durga Visarjan in Bengal.

Editor's note (15 October 2026)

Dates and times were checked on 15 October 2026 against the official and calendar sources linked in this article. Local customs and announcements vary, so confirm with your temple, puja committee, bank or local authority.

Related guides

• Durga Visarjan 2026
• Dussehra 2026 date and Vijay Muhurat