Fulpati marks the seventh day of Dashain as sacred offerings arrive in homes

Fulpati is a bundle of flowers, leaves and fruit from plants considered sacred. On the seventh day of the festival, which began with Ghatasthapana on 11 October, families place it in the Dashain Ghar, the room set aside for worship during the festival. The national news agency RSS said the offering is customarily brought in during the afternoon.

In Kathmandu, the Fulpati is taken to the Dashain Ghar at Hanuman Dhoka Durbar with Vedic rites, and a procession with cultural performances moves between Jamal and Hanuman Dhoka, Republica reported. A Fulpati was also sent to Hanuman Dhoka from Gorkha.

The night of Kalaratri

The seventh day of Navaratri is devoted to Kalaratri, the seventh of the nine forms of the goddess Durga. Devotees recite the Durga Saptashati and other hymns at the spot where the barley shoots, or jamara, were sown, and shrines to the goddess across the country draw large crowds throughout the nine nights. In all, Bada Dashain lasts 15 days, running from Ghatasthapana to Kojagrat Purnima.

Celebrations gather pace from Fulpati, when government and private offices begin to close and many people head to their home towns and villages to receive blessings and tika from their elders. Maha Ashtami falls on Sunday. The Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Bikas Samiti has fixed 10.26am as the most auspicious time to receive tika on Vijayadashami, ShareSansar reported.

Sources

Republica (external link); Onlinekhabar (RSS) (external link); Onlinekhabar English (external link); ShareSansar (external link)