The Nepalese Student Association (NSA) is preparing to celebrate the festival of Dashain next week, and has invited the entire student body to experience Nepalese culture.

Dashain is the longest of Nepal’s festivals, lasting 15 days during the months of Ashwin and sometimes Kartik (Sept.-Oct.).

Dashain is a celebration of the battle between the gods and demons and the triumph of good over evil. The first nine days of the festival symbolize the battle between Durga, the Hindu goddess of victory over evil, and the  demon Mahishasura. The 10th day of the festival is the day Durga finally overcame the demon.

These ten days are filled with the more religious aspects of the festival, such as the bestowing of the “tika,” a mark worn on the forehead or other parts of the body that is associated with the idea of spiritual enlightenment. The final five days celebrates the victory of the gods by feasting on animals sacrificed to Durga. In Nepal, goat is the main meat eaten during Dashain, though there are other choices with the notable exception of beef. Cows are considered sacred animals in the Hindu faith.

During this time the Nepalese also exchange gifts, usually clothing, and visit family, fly kites and play games. Some Nepalese businesses give bonus checks to their employees, usually about a month’s salary.

Although Dashain is a religious celebration, the NSA wants to make the celebration in the Student Union Ballroom more of a cultural event.

“We want to make it more cultural, not religious, because this celebration is all about promoting Nepalese culture,” said Pradish Shahi, sophomore biology major and the NSA’s event coordinator. “We have friends preparing traditional Nepali food and there will be traditional songs and dances and most of us will wear Nepali dress.”

According to Shahi, planning the celebration was not without difficulty.

“It’s not that easy to find Nepalese food here,” said Shahi.  “Also, getting everyone together is difficult because there are a lot of Nepalese students at the university.”

The date and time of the celebration is set for Oct. 6 from 6-9 p.m.

Several Nepalese seniors who wanted to promote Nepalese culture on the campus came together and created the NSA last year. Junior biology major Rajendra Shrestha is the group’s current president.

“We’re all about promoting our culture, Nepal and the Nepali people,” said Shrestha. “We also help newcomers adjust to American culture because it’s really different. It usually takes around a semester to get comfortable, but it’s a continuous process.”