It was a day of celebration for canine companions in Darwin today, with dog-owners turning out for the Hindu festival of Kukur Tihar. The day of worship is an annual tradition celebrated by millions around the world, brought to Darwin by members of the Nepalese community.
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00:00 The second day of the annual Nepalese Festival of Lights, known as TR, dedicated to honouring
00:07 dogs for their companionship.
00:08 We all celebrate this every once in a year, so it's like an appreciation for your dog
00:13 for being your loyal friend and how it's kind to you.
00:17 Owners receiving a traditional Nepalese breakfast, with dogs getting a special blessing, and
00:22 a treat, from the Nepalese staff of Darwin's Trailer Boat Club.
00:26 Getting you blessed there, so saying that, be healthy, be nicer, live longer, so it's
00:31 like a birthday.
00:33 The much-loved tradition, bringing back fond memories of celebrations at home in Nepal.
00:38 In early morning, taking all the flour and nice food and finding the street dog on the
00:44 side and feeding them and worshipping them, is really, really famous in Nepal.
00:49 A celebration so sacred, it's worth coming into work on a day off.
00:54 Because our head chef is Nepalese as well and we are all of us Nepalese working here,
00:58 and it was kind of like a request from me as well to be here today and just offer blessings
01:03 to the dogs.
01:04 While the second day of TR is reserved for dogs, crows, cows and oxen are also honoured
01:09 in the five-day festival, the final day set aside for family.
01:13 The fifth day is about the siblings, the love and the relationship between the siblings,
01:19 so there's five days we celebrate like that.
01:22 As Darwin locals warmed to the tradition, it's something these dogs could get used to.
01:27 Well Ruben's a Fulchuawa, so he's just thankful that there's a day where he's being worshipped
01:31 because that's every day for him.
01:34 What an idea to bless dogs, we should do it every day.
01:38 A day of thanks for a lifetime of friendship.
01:40 [BLANK_AUDIO]