Week 3 - Dhulikhel 



Momo

Monday was a usual day at work.  In the evening we learned how to make Momos with min.  Momos are a Nepali speciality and “Momo Day” is a big event at the hospital every Friday Lunchtime.  These are steamed dumplings filled with either a sweet cheese, vegetables or spiced meat.  We learned the art of sweet Momos – the standard shapes went to pot while we created Cornish pasties shapes and other variations.  Min was really patient and the resulting feast was delicious.  After dinner we went to visit the local radio station, Grace FM. 

DJ Vijay

Unusually in a Bhuddist country, this is a Christian radio station, but in a country with great religious tolerance it has listeners from all religions.  Vijay who was hosting the show this evening has a real radio voice and it was great seeing him in action.  His show is a request and messages show, and has Nepali music for the first hour and Hindi music for the second.  He told his listeners that we were all sitting in the studio, and we received lots of messages wishing us well and Happy Tihar.  Grace FM is on 107.6FM and is on line if you want to listen between 9 and 11pm Nepal time.

At the hospital, it was an easy week as we had 3 days off for the Tihar celebrations. 

Tihar तिहार is also known as Deepawali is a five day long Hindu and Bhuddist festival celebrated soon after Dashain, all ethnic groups celebrate this festival. The name Tihar means the festival of lights, where many candles are lit both inside and outside the houses to make it bright at night. The five-day festival is considered to be of great importance as it shows reverence to not just the humans and the Gods, but also to the animals like the crow, cow and dog, who maintain an intense relationship with the humans.

Kag Tihar Is the first day of the festival (worship of the crows). The crows are worshiped by offerings of sweets and dishes on the roof of the houses. The cawing of the crows symbolizes sadness and grief in the Hindu mythology, so the devotees offer the crows food to avert grief and deaths in their homes.

Monday was Kukur Tihar or Kukur Puja (worship of the dogs). The Dog, believed to be messenger of Lord Yamaraj, the God of death, is worshiped once a year on this day. People offer garlands, tika and delicious food to the dogs.  Tricky when most of them shy away from contact, particularly the street dogs, so people must have taken a bit of a risk or bribed the dogs with food.

My lights

Tuesday was the start of the Newari New Year so I went into Kathmandu and spent the day wandering around buying flashing lights for Tihar.  In the evening I was aiming to go to Durbar Square as various events were due to take place there however I never made it that far because there was so much going on.  I spent time watching a dancing display by a group of young people, they were doing dances ranging from traditional Nepali and Newari dancing, through to hip hop and street dancing. 


Traditional dress

All the doorways to the shops had mandalas outside which are designs on the floor made from stone sand, coloured Tikka powder and marigolds and they have paths painted into the building to guide the gods into the shop, this is all decorated with lights and candles.  Kathmandu was a real picture – as close as you could get to Christmas lights, but in November.  Later that evening I met up with Niv, Adam (deputy assistant Israeli ambassador), Tony (Norwegian from Australia) and the Norwegian medical students who used to stay at the guesthouse.  We went back to the White House kitchen for dinner, which was a nightmare to find but did the most amazing food, and then onto a bar where a large group of Swiss tourists were dancing like your dad and provided the entertainment for us.

Tuesday was Gai Tihar and Laxmi Puja Houses, offices and commercial complexes are decorated with garlands in the morning of Laxmi Puja. The morning of the third day is Gai Tihar (worship of the cow). In Hinduism, the cow is sign of prosperity and wealth. In ancient times people benefitted a lot from the cow. Its milk, dung even urine was used for different purposes like purification. Thus on this day people show their gratefulness to the cow by garlanding and feeding the cow with the best grass. Houses are cleaned and the doorways and windows are decorated with garlands made of marigolds and chrysanthemums.

In the evening Laxmi, the goddess of wealth is thanked for all the benefits that were bestowed on the families by lighting oil lamps or candles on doorways and windows to welcome prosperity and well being. At night the girls enjoy dancing and visiting all the houses of the village with many musical instruments playing a historical game called Bhailo all night long. They collect money from all the houses by singing and dancing and share the sweets and money amongst themselves.

From the third day onwards Tihar is especially famous for Deusi and Bhailo, light and fireworks. Deusi and Bhailo are the songs which have only been sung on those Tihar days. The Deusi is mostly sung by the boys while the Bhailo is sung by the girls. They visit local homes to sing these songs, and in return the home owners give them money, fruit, rice and Selroti (a special type of Nepali bread made by rice flour and sugar).

Mha Puja is the fourth day of Tihar.  The Newari community on the night of this day do Mha Puja (worship of self). Because this period is also the beginning of Nepal Sambat, or the new year of Nepalese especially commemorated by Newars, it ensures prosperity for the new year.

Cows in the street!



For this day I wandered into Durbar square to sit and watch the world go by, today mainly in motorbike processions and processions of cars and trucks.  New Year is celebrated with noise and music and loudhailers that are carried around the city by the bikes and trucks.  The bikes go in groups and the riders all wear a sash of the same colour so you know where they have come from.  Despite the increased traffic however there are still cows in the middle of the street! (Don’t think I am going to get over this!)  Back in Thamel I found an amazing street party had kicked off.  The street was blocked and the biggest sound system I have seen so far in Nepal was blaring out western dance music.  The people at the party were 99% boys and 50% drunk.  Girls stay at home today to help get ready for the evening celebrations.  Having a female westerner to join in was a novelty and not for the first time this trip I became the local entertainment, luckily Niv was there to spread the load.  As today was also the day to worship cows so as with the dogs there were cows (in the streets) wearing Tikka paste and garlands.



Tika Powder

For the evening of Mah Puja I took at taxi to Satdobato which is just outside Patan to join Sumana one of the physiotherapists from Dhulikhel and her family.  Mha puja is the part of Tihar where you worship yourself and wish wealth and health to yourself because if you have these you can lead a good life and live a good Buddhist way.  Sumana’s house was a 3 storey brick house with a secure wall and gate enclosing a beautiful green and flowery garden.  Her family have lived here for 20 years.  The house was very comfortable and warm and was a lovely change from the guesthouse.

Spending the night with Sumana and her family was a real highlight of the week.  They were so incredibly welcoming and involved me in every element of the celebration.  We started by finishing the decorations around the house and garden.  The decorations were mainly lights and lots of small oil lamp, illuminating the house and the path to the front door.  Mimi, Sumana’s sister had made a beautiful Mandap (a small mandala) outside the house and a path with the cutest little footprints led from here to the door.  The footprints would show the way into the house for Laxmi the goddess of light.  

During these preparations the local kids came by to sing for money and treats.  The song they sing translates as:

Goddess Laxmi

Tihar came with light,

Listen everyone,
Laxmi came to your front yard,
Open your heart,
Laxmi came to your front yard,
Open your heart,
Green cowshit on the floor
Worshipping Laxmi
Hey listen to the day of the half moon
The Tihar cow came.
 
Green cowshit is extremely holy which is why it gets a mention.  I am not sure this has been translated into English before so there may be some inaccuracies. 



Laxmi Shrine

The main celebration began by blessing different parts of the house starting with the front Mandap, the gate, the car, the well, the water tap, the cooking stove and finishing with the store cupboard which also had a shrine to Laxmi.  Each part gets anointed and worshipped and tika is placed.  The store cupboard shrine was worshipped by Subhakar, Sumana’s Father guided by her Mother, Renu, who is the facilitator of the evening, she makes sure that everyone does the right thing at the right time.



Dining Room Mandaps

We then went into the dining room and sat on the floor in age order – needless to say I was close to the head of the table! Then sat Sumana, Mimi and Munni, Sumana’s younger sisters.  Inside the house in the dining room and where we were to sit for the evening, smaller mandaps had been made for each of us and I as I finished off one Sumana’s father Subhakar told me the significance.  The mandap is symbolic of the circle of life.  Each of the rings is significant, each is decorated in a different way with rough rice grains, rice popcorn, rice grains that have had the husks removed by hand and then been picked for their perfect shape, and marigold petals covering the lotus petal outline made by the stone sand.  In the middle was a circle of oil symbolic of the soul and a dot of Tika in the centre coloured yellow and orange.  A circle of Jajanka (holy string) was placed on top.   Around the Mandap there was fruit, dried fruit, candles and an incense stick was lit.

We started with purifying ourselves with water, then we were blessed by Renu who placed dried rice and marigold petals all over us, before giving us tika.  We also lit wicks placed in a cross over the mandap.  These had to burn completely to symbolise the cycle of birth to death.  We had holy string, called Jajanka that was the length of our body that we wore around our necks and knees like a protective zone. 

Food is very significant and we ate and drank various foods such as boiled egg, dried fish as part of the ritual and we drank salted yogurt with spices.  All were symbolic and Subhankar described each part to me.  We also received fruit that couldn’t be dropped - tricky when you are trying to balance a pomelo, apples, oranges walnuts etc. in 2 hands! needless to say I dropped an apple which was a bit embarrassing!  After the final blessing we gave Renu money as a “consulting fee” the family had bought her presents as well.   Then we ate a feast for dinner.  The girls and Sumana’s mother had spent the whole day preparing 10 different dishes for the evening, and they had made them less spicy than normal just because I was there which I was grateful for.  The food was delicious there was mushrooms, fish curry, spinach, potato curries, fried aubergine, bean and bamboo curry, bean curry, fried fish pieces, beaten rice (normal boiled or steamed rice is not allowed to be eaten today), paneer, kidney beans, mutton curry and Nepali desserts made from sweetened milk called rasbari.  We finished off with curd (like sweetened natural yogurt) from Bhaktapur (the best curd there is) followed by fenugreek and pickles to help with the digestion.  After dinner I tried Paan which is a betel nut leaf (not the species that gives a high) filled with crystallised spices that you chew and swallow, and a good shot of Apple brandy from Mustang which was potent but delicious.  I have not eaten so much food in one sitting since I have been in Nepal and the whole meal was delicious.  The food was unusual and extremely tasty and it was obvious the amount of effort that had gone into the meal.  At this point I had to stand as my legs and hips were aching from sitting on the floor for the 2 hours.  When we had finished then Renu came to eat and was served by her daughters.



The Baidya Family

After dinner we took a few photos together and we looked through all the photos that we had been taking all evening.  Before going to bed Sumana produced illegal firecrackers that she had acquired for the occasion (illegal but not unusual!).  We went up onto the roof to light the sparklers and also fireworks that were like Catherine wheels but smaller, that you light on the ground then jump into the sparks as it spins – I think the furry slippers I was wearing survived, this was hilarious and although her parents had gone to bed I can be pretty sure they heard every thump!

I had a comfortable warm night’s sleep in Mimi’s donated bed, and stayed for breakfast the next day.  Sumana and her Dad dropped me at the bus stop where I crammed onto a local bus and stood all the way to Bonepa (about 1.5hours).  My time with the family was so special and they took great care of me and really showed me what this festival was all about.  Sumana’s mother was really worried that the spicy food may have ruined my innards, which it absolutely didn’t (and we all know what an achievement that is with me!), and Sumana was really worried that I had no seat on the bus but actually I was so rammed in that I didn’t have to make any effort to stay upright, and in this country I am tall by local standards so I didn’t have my face in anyone’s armpit like I would have had on the tube in London I had a good ride back.  The whole experience was perfect.

Thursday was Bhai Tika the fifth and last day of Tihar, a day where sisters put tika on foreheads of brothers, to ensure long life, and thank them for the protection they give. When the sisters give the tika, the brothers give gifts or money in return. Brothers sit on the floor while sisters perform their puja. Puja involves following a traditional ritual in which sisters circle brothers three times dripping oil on the floor from a copper pitcher. Afterwards, sisters put oil in the brother's ears and hair, then give Tika. Tika starts with placing a banana leave already cut into a line shape placed on brothers forehead held by one of the sisters hand, then applying tika base (made from rice paste) in the open space. Then sister dabs seven colors on top of the base using her fingers or a cotton bud, the seven colors are applied on top of the base. A special marigold garland is made for the brothers, symbolizing the sister's prayer for her brother's long life, and this is put around brother's neck. Then brothers give tika to sisters in the same fashion. Sisters also receive flower garlands around their necks. Brothers give gifts such as clothes or money to sisters while sisters give a special gift known as Sagun (which is made of dried fruits and nuts, and candies), and a fantastic Tihar feast takes place.  

Jonas recieving Tika

I arrived back In Dhulikhel on this day around lunchtime.  This was just time to shower and change into my Kupta and to join the family that own the restaurant above the guest house for Bhai Tika.  We joined them were worshipped by the boys of the family, receiving blessings, garlands and gifts and then we all had lunch of chicken curry, dhal bhaat and curried vegetables, accompanied by frozen slushy mountain dew drink and curd.

Charlotte and I receiving Tika from Min's sisters

The Bahadur Family and Western Guests

At about 3pm We walked to Min’s house to share the same experience with his family.  This time his sisters did the tika for all of us, and his mother had cooked and prepared fabulous food as well, more than we could manage to eat.  Min’s house was very different to Sumana’s, his family are farmers and live in the hills in houses made of mud and clay.  This makes them smaller and darker inside, but incredibly warm in the evenings and at night.  The family have a 2 floor house with a stable on the ground floor for the 2 goats and the buffalo called Kali.  Again Min’s family were really welcoming and his sisters Muna and Romila,and his brother Sam, all speak excellent English and were great fun to meet.  We stayed over at Min’s house and the girls kindly donated their bed to Charlotte and me, I slept well here too.  In the morning we walked back to Dhulikhel in time to change and head off to work.  I had removed the Tika to sleep but was left with a stain from the coloured powder which was a lovely reminder of Tihar.

Min and Water Buffalo callaed Kali

Min's House

Friday I finished work a little early as Niv, Jonas and myself were going to head up to Nagarkot to meet with Adam and Noga – a new friend from Israel working for an NGO in Kathmandu.  Nagarkot is at 2175m and sits on a ridge in front of the Himalayas.  It gives one of the best uninterrupted views in the area (weather dependant).  In our wisdom we decided to take the bus. 
The first part of the trip was crowded to Banepa, which is fine for me but 6’2 Jonas and 6’ Niv don’t travel well standing up in a bus designed for 5’5’’ people.  We then hopped off to meet Nota and joined a bus To Bhaktapur with the idea of then catching a cab.  The cab prices were ridiculous for the distance we needed to travel, but the drivers were taking advantage of the fact that the last bus to Nagarkot was already bursting at the seams.  After a bit of deliberation, and prompted by the fact the bus was going to leave, we elected to get on the roof of the bus.  We climbed up and joined the other locals on the roof, the best seat at the edge with legs dangling off were taken so we sat in the middle of the roof.  I was wedged in between a monk and a guy heading back to army camp.  I was cosy and warm (and glad of my down jacket) Niv was cramped and Jonas was sat on the ladder holding on for his life for the first part of the journey. 


On top of the Bus with Niv.

Noga had thought better of it and had squeezed into the bus properly.  This should have been a hair raising experience careering through the mountains in the dark up ever ascending winding roads, on a bus that seriously looked like it would fall apart at any moment, and looked like it couldn’t possibly hold all the people squashed inside.  But it was actually comfortable, warm and not scary - maybe because it was in the dark and I couldn’t see over the edge.  A bonus was the guys heading back to army camp shared their peanuts with me.  Once the bus top cleared out a bit we were able to sit on the edge for the last 30 mins of the journey and take in the views and the sheer drops.  We arrived at Nagarkot after about 1 hour and were met by a chap from the hotel.  Adam had already made his way up on his motorbike and was happily settled having a pre-dinner nap in bed.  We turned him out and headed up to the bar to order rum punch and dinner around the big open fire.  Dinner was good, but we were knackered so after a few games of shithead we headed to bed.  The room I shared with Noga was comfortable and warm and really quiet so we were in for a good night’s sleep (can you see a theme here the guesthouse is not warm so warmth is a big bonus!). 

Sunrise at Nagarkot

The next morning we got up before 6am to walk to the top temple to see the sunrise over the Himalayas.  The view was fantastic, and it was worth the effort.  Unfortunately I had spent a few hours of the night up being ill and so probably didn’t fully appreciate the view at this time.  Back to bed with Imodium and a long snooze later and I woke up much refreshed and ready for breakfast.  After breakfast we said goodbye to Adam and started the walk back to Dhulikhel which was going to take us about 7 hours. 

The Himalayas

Noga, Niv and Jonas.

The walk back was relatively gentle with not too much “Nepali Flat” and with good company it was a lovely day.  The sun was hot and conditions were good.  Today was obviously everyone’s day off and there were many groups of children and teenagers having picnics.  We gave some of our apples to a group of kids who swapped it for some radish.  Many of the groups wanted to stop and chat. The conversations here tend to go the same way: “where are you going?” , “where so you live?” – we learned that to say Dhulikhel and not England completely stumped most of them.  “what is your name” etc.  The less fluent in English just stuck to “one chocolate, one pen, one rupee…….”.  We made it back to the guesthouse and were joined by some old guests of the guesthouse, 4 Norwegian medical students.  Dinner was one of the best yet -  chips, fried rice and banana lassi..............

Strange bugs

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