Dixya Poudel
Wed, 14 October 2026
Change Font Sizes:
Dixya Poudel
Wed, 14 October 2026
Dashain, one of the most important festivals for Nepalis, has arrived after the gloom of monsoon disasters. Festivals are a way to break away from the drudgery of daily life, and Dashain comes with a promise of jubilant celebrations. Depending on age, gender and profession, this festival has different meanings for different people.
For millennials, Dashain is a festival of nostalgia. Most of us millennials are in our thirties and forties, neither too young nor too old, hovering instead in the looming middle age. We were born in a unique time, when the internet was still nascent. This means we had the firsthand experience of both the pre-internet and post-internet boom. Our childhood was mostly analogue. We took pictures on bulky cameras during special occasions such as Dashain. We were grateful for this festival as it meant new clothes and tucking into dishes such as non-vegetarian items and varieties of rotis. We even participated in making these delicacies.
There were no smartphones to make reels on social media. Nor were there any TikTok dance choreographies as a part of celebrations. It was simply us, our families and relatives giving and receiving tikas and blessings as analogue and digital cameras captured these festivities. Then somewhere in our twenties, the internet boomed with the rise of social media. Smartphones were introduced to us and we became Facebook’s poster child. We started posting pictures on Facebook and Dashain was the epitome of such posts, along with birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions. As years went on, we became addicted to social media and smartphones became our most cherished objects that fit in our pockets.
Now for millennials, Dashain has become a time to slip into nostalgia. Nostalgia is like a foreign country and we millennials have become its immigrants. We may not be able to return to our childhood but we can certainly reminisce. Whenever Dashain arrives, we initiate conversations about our childhood days. Remember when?
For many of us abroad, nostalgia affects us even more acutely. Childhood memories of Nepal become so endearing that we cling to them with all our might. Those of us abroad have little time for celebrations, but thanks to Facebook, TikTok and Instagram we can share our posts of brief festivities online while also viewing those of others across countries. Each year, Facebook memories recall our past Dashains. They also remind us that we are getting older with each one.
Now we give blessings while before we used to mostly receive them. We have moved up in our social circle thanks to our age. Gen Z relatives ask us about our childhood Dashain, and short of social media posts, we show them old albums of printed photographs. Most millennials are married and settled down with kids. Looking at young faces in Dashain, we realise middle age is upon us and we don’t know whether to rejoice or to resent it.
Nepalis have the time of their lives this time around. Dashain means long-awaited vacations for many students and professionals. Children get a break from homework. As for adults, including millennials, it might mean a trip down memory lane filled with childhood stories, the taste of familiar dishes and the congeniality of loving family and relatives gathered under one roof. Happy Dashain!
How did you feel after reading this news?