I think Dasain has more cultural than religious meaning for the average Nepali. It's turned into an occasion for friends and family to meet and do things I wish they wouldn't like drink and gamble :) . In this day and age where we have a remmitance-driven (or "Lahure") economy, and many of our able bodied men toil in places like India, the Middle East, Malaysia and further beyond, this festival has become a reason for people to come home to visit friends and family. If you fly to Nepal at this time of the year, you just need to look at the passenger sitting next to you in that packed flight as evidence of this. As far as animal slaughter goes, I think it's really senseless and Dasain can still be fun without it. I know a lot of people in urban areas don't slaughter animals anymore these days and instead get meat the same way they do the rest of the year - from the butcher's. I can only hope more and more people start doing this in the years ahead. "This festival is only for rich Hindus." I'd agree with that to the extent that this is true for any festival, in any country, in any religion. The rich always have it better than the poor. But to be fair, the festival is celebrated across caste and class lines in Nepal albeit on a different scale. Happy Dasain! (Ramadan and Yom Kippur greetings too!)