A few weeks ago we celebrated Gaijatra (gai = cow, jatra = festival) here in Kathmandu. Gaijatra is observed by people who have lost a loved one in the past year. The festival was started when King Pratap Malla lost his son and tried to come up with a way to cheer up his grieving wife. Each family who has lost a loved one is supposed to parade a cow through Kathmandu Durbar Square or if a cow isn't available then they have their boys dress up as cows or as Hindu holy men. Cows are considered the incarnation of the goddess Laxmi so they're revered and worshiped and thought to ease the journey to heaven. The families also have to pass out 365 sweets to those parading and often give them offerings of milk. I got to go to Kathmandu Durbar Square with my language teacher and some of the Nepal MCCers. As foreign as these festivals sometimes feel, there's something really beautiful and important in a culture that honors death and grieving as part of normal life instead of something that interrupts normal life.
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| Boys dressed up as cows |
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| Receiving offerings of milk |
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| A family remembering and celebrating life and death |
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| Honoring their father/brother/uncle/son |
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| Token tourist picture (L -> R Lynn, Parmeswari, me, John, Chase) |
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