MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands: Nepalese community in MPC celebrated Dashain

Family picture of the Nepalese community in MPC (Pic BFSAI)

Last weekend the Nepalese community at Mount Pleasant Complex in the Falkland Islands and their invited guests, celebrated Dashain, traditionally celebrated with prayers and offerings to Durga, the Universal Mother Goddess.

 Dashain is the great harvest festival of Nepal, is a time for family reunions, exchange of gifts and blessings. Dashain honors the Goddess Durga, who was created out of the shakti or energy of all the gods, armed with weapons from each of them.

Goddess Durga, symbolizing valor and prowess, is worshipped and offered sacrifices to ensure the devotees' progress and prosperity. The series of the events under Dashain are each marked with a different set of rituals.

On the culmination of celebrations, known as Tika, people are seen moving around with their foreheads covered with rice tika, wearing new clothes. There is much feasting as people visit relatives’ homes to receive tika and blessings.

But since Nepalese staff are even further from home than most at BFSAI, at around 10,000 miles, Corporal Ambu Lingden and his colleagues ensured that the community were able to experience and share in Dashain celebrations.