Kukur Tihar

Kukur Tihar (Nepali: कु कु र तिहार) is an annual Hindu festival originating from Nepal which falls on the

second day of the festival of Tihar (around October or November). On this day, people worship dogs
to please Yama, the god of death, as they are considered to be his messengers. Dogs are decorated
with tilaka and wear flower garlands around their necks. Worshippers offer them various foods
including meat, milk, eggs, and dog food. It is considered a sin if someone acts disrespectfully to a
dog on this day.
Kukur Tihar is also celebrated worldwide by the Nepalese diaspora. A charity event in Nepal raised
about 300,000 Nepalese rupees (approximately US$2,540 in 2020) in 2017 and 2018, which was
donated to Animal Nepal and Shree's Animal Rescue Nepal, respectively.
Tihar is a five-day-long Hindu festival originating from Nepal; it is the second-largest festival in the
country, after Dashain.[4][5][6] Kukur Tihar is celebrated on the second day of Tihar.[5][7] During the
festival of Tihar, many animals including cows and crows are also worshipped.[8] In the
ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, the five Pandavas on their way to heaven are accompanied by a
dog.[9] The five Pandavas with their wife Draupadi and brothers climb the Himalayas; all of them
except Yudhishthira and his dog perishing along the way.[10] Then Yudhishthira meets Indra, King of
the gods, who welcomes him to heaven but tells him he has to leave his dog behind.[10]
[11]
 Yudhishthira refuses to enter heaven without his dog and says he will go back to earth.[10][12][13] The
dog disappears and it is replaced by Yama, the god of death; Indra is impressed by his actions and
then his righteousness opens the gates of heaven for Yudhishthira.[10][11]
In Hindu mythology, Yama has two dogs—Shyama and Sharvara—who guard the door of hell.
[14]
 Nepali Hindus believe that by worshipping dogs they start to see death positively, because a dog
follows them in their final journey.[15] They hope that dogs will guard them against the torture in hell.
[15]
 Dogs are considered to be a companion of Yama and to please him, dogs are worshipped.[5][16]
According to ABC Science, dogs may have been first domesticated in Nepal and Mongolia
Tihar is celebrated around October or November every year.[18] During the festival, dogs are
worshipped, bathed, and decorated with tilaka, which is made from kumkuma or gulal powders with
rice and yoghurt.[15][19] Flower garlands are draped around their necks and they are offered food
including meat, milk, eggs, and dog food.[5] Police dogs and stray dogs are also honoured.[20] Kukur
Tihar also celebrates the relationship between dogs and humans.[21] It is considered a sin if someone
behaves disrespectfully to a dog on this day.[ In 2005, Mobile Vet Clinic with Animal Nepal gave
stray dogs rabies vaccine as well as health check-ups, biscuits, and chewable bones.[23] It was the
first time dogs were vaccinated in Lalitpur.[23]
After the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, Animal Nepal used the occasion of the festival to promote
awareness about dogs who became homeless.[20] The Kathmandu Post reported that people were
buying foreign breeds of dogs which left the local dogs in the streets.[24]
Kukur Tihar spread around Mexico in 2016 to make people aware of respecting animals.[25] Special
Broadcasting Service reported that many Nepalis in Australia were also celebrating the festival.[26]
[27]
 In 2008. Asian Art in London celebrated the festival by creating a dog walk charity event.[28] Also in
2016, Kathmandu Metropolitan City with the help of Humane Society International and Jane Goodall
Institute Nepal created a program to "humanely manage urban dog population".[29] An educational
assessment done by International Companion Animal Management Coalition found that dogs in
the capital of Nepal were "generally healthy and accepted by the community".[30]
In 2017, Andeep Acharya and others created a charity event to assist dogs which raised about
300,000 Nepalese rupees (approximately about US$2,540 in 2020); the funds were donated to the
charity Animal Nepal in Chobhar.[31] In 2018 nearly the same amount was raised and donated to
Shree's Animal Rescue Nepal in Lalitpur.[31]
In 2018, a dog named Kushal was named "The Best Dog of the Year" by the Nepal Police on the
occasion of the festival after the dog helped discover the murderer of a 10-year-old girl.[32]
After the Chinese Lychee and Dog Meat Festival, in which festival-goers eat dog meat and lychees,
garnered international outrage, One Green Planet described Kukur Tihar as "[it] will restore your faith
in humanity".[33] People on social media contrasted the Chinese festival with Kukur Tihar and The
Dodo reported that "[it gave] heartbroken dog lovers a reason to feel hopeful again".[34] In a 2016
newspaper article, the President of Animal Nepal appealed to Nepalis "to take a pledge this Kukur
Tihar, to not just worship your pets on this day but to do the right thing for them all year round.
Unchain and uncage your dogs, learn to interact with them, take them for walks, understand their
feelings, ..."[35] A 2007 BBC photo essay also pointed out the need to improve the treatment of Nepali
dogs which, "during the rest of the year, are not generally well treated..."[36]