The first sign that Indra Jatra has begun isn’t a sight; it’s a sound. Somewhere near Basantapur Durbar Square, a dhimay drum starts up, that deep, rolling double beat that Newar musicians have played at this exact festival for centuries, and within minutes the old city’s narrow streets fill with people moving toward it. Incense...Read More
Walk through any Nepali neighborhood on the third night of the Tihar festival and you’ll understand the name instantly. Every doorway glows. Marigold garlands hang from windows, rows of diyo oil lamps line the rooftops, and the smell of incense drifts down alleys that were ordinary and grey the day before. This is Tihar, and...Read More
