Teej

In Nepali culture, children live with their families until they get married. At her wedding a girl says goodbye to her family and goes to live with her husband's family for the rest of her life. Each year she is able to return to her parents' home for one day a year on the festival of Teej. During this festival women get to spend time with their own friends and family and get a break from the normal routine of taking care of their families. This year I got to go visit my friend, Chase, who is living just outside of Kathmandu and celebrate Teej with his host family. Women fast and pray for their husbands--for long life, good health and happiness. Those who are not married also fast and pray that they will find a good husband.

The festivities started the night before I arrived with a meal of delicious treats before the fast began. The next day is spent mostly in the temple where lots of dancing and singing takes place. In the evening we gathered again at someone's house for more dancing and singing. Unfortunately for all of the people of Chapagau, they had me show my moves off to the village, too. The next morning lots of female relatives gathered at Chase's host family's house where they brought in a priest who performed a puja (worship) ceremony.

My friends told me that I too should fast and pray for a good husband but I got hungry so I ate daal bhaat (rice and lentils) with Chase instead. Oh well, maybe next year.

Photo by Chase

गाईजात्रा -- The festival of the cows

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.

Boys dressed up as cows

Receiving offerings of milk

A family remembering and celebrating life and death

Honoring their father/brother/uncle/son

Token tourist picture (L -> R Lynn, Parmeswari, me, John, Chase)