Dashain is easily the most special time of the year. I love how everyone travels home no matter where they are. Our family tradition is that all the cousins gather at our grandparents house in Dharan a week before Tika. The kids fly kites, the adults play cards (lets be honest, gamble a little), and the smell of mutton curry fills the entire neighborhood. What are your unique family traditions during Dashain? Anything specific to your community or region?
In our Newari family we do a massive feast on Dashami with at least 12 different dishes. The women start cooking from 4am. My favorite part is when all the kids line up youngest to oldest for tika — the little ones always get impatient!
We are from Ilam so our Dashain always involves a trip to the tea gardens. The whole extended family rents a bus. Playing cards in the tea garden with mountains in the background — does not get better than that.
The best part of Dashain is the kite flying for me. In Bhaktapur the sky is full of kites the week before Dashami. The rooftop competitions between neighbors get so intense. Miss those days.