Dasain

Dashain दशैं
The goddess Durga
Observed by	Nepalese Hindus, Lhotshampa Bhutanese, Indian Gorkhas and Burmese Gurkhas, along with their diasporas
Type	National
Observances	Prayers, Religious rituals, animal sacrifices, National Public Holidays
Begins	Ashvin shukla prathama
Ends	Kojagarat purnima
Date	September–October
2016 date	Oct 2 to 16

Dashain (Nepali: दशैँ Daśãi, also Baḍādaśãi बडादशैँ), or Bijayā Daśamī (Maithili: विजया दशमी), or Mwohni (Newar: मोह्नी, also Durga Puja (Maithili : दुर्गा पुजा) is a fifteen-day-long national festival of Nepal, the Indian hill states of Sikkim, Assam and Darjeeling district and among the Lhotshampa of Bhutan and the Burmese Gurkhas of Myanmar.

It is the longest and the most auspicious festival in the Bikram Sambat annual calendar, celebrated by Nepalese people, Lhotshampa, Burmese Gurkhas and Indian Gorkhas, along with their diaspora throughout the globe. It is the longest and most anticipated festival in Nepal, Bhutan, Burma and North Indian hills. People return from all parts of the world, as well as different parts of the country, to celebrate together. All government offices, educational institutions and other offices remain closed during the festival period.The festival falls in September or October, starting from the shukla paksha (bright lunar fortnight) of the month of Ashvin and ending on purnima, the full moon. Among the fifteen days on which it is celebrated, the most important days are the first, seventh, eighth, ninth and the tenth.