The country celebrated “Ghatasthapana”, the first day of the fortnight-long Dashain festival on Thursday.

Dashain is more than just a cultural event. It makes the economy vibrant as people across the country go on a shopping spree for new clothes, gadgets, food and more.

Companies are looking to ride the wave of shopping frenzy by launching their festive offers and schemes. The festive period is the most important period for the Nepali economy as most of the consumer spending occurs during this period.

Nepali customers are known for their voracious appetite for shopping which results in a surge in sales of food and non-food items during the country’s biggest festival.

One of the major features of Dashain in Nepal is mass movement of people from the Capital to their home towns, resulting in a huge financial transaction in the transport sector.

Likewise, another important aspect of the festival is the consumption of meat. Buffalos, goats, chickens and ducks numbering in the hundreds of thousands are killed across the country to appease the Hindu Goddess Durga and provide meat for the extended feasting. This year, the demand for goats in the Valley is likely to exceed 65,000.

Migrant workers who have returned from India to celebrate Dashain take a city safari ride in Nepalgunj. Post Photo: Thakur Singh Tharu