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Next: about 8 to 9 Nov 2026

Tihar: Gai Puja and Goru Puja

In Nepal's festival of lights, the cow is worshipped on Laxmi Puja morning, and the ox is honoured the day after.

A diya - Indian oil lamp.
Photo: Sreekumar K. S., CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cattle at Tihar: Gai Puja and Goru Puja

Tihar, the Nepali Diwali, gives each of its five days to a different being. The third morning is Gai Puja, the worship of the cow, who is seen as a form of Laxmi, the goddess of wealth: households bathe the cow, mark her with tika, hang a marigold garland round her neck and feed her the best of the kitchen. The fourth day brings Goru Puja, the worship of the oxen that pull the plough, together with Govardhan Puja, and in Newar homes Mha Puja, the worship of one's own body. In the Kathmandu valley and the Terai alike, the cattle are treated as guests of honour for these two days.

The breeds

AchhamThe tiny zebu of far-western Nepal, among the smallest cattle in the world. SiriThe black and white humped cattle of the eastern hills.

Also part of it, and being written: Lulu (The small humpless cattle of the high Mustang valleys.).

About this page

Written by the EveryCow desk with AI assistance. Background: "Tihar (festival)" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

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