Travel Log #6: Experiencing a Beautiful and Intact Culture in Nepal

The contrast between Nepal and America is stark. Nepalis know who they are and It makes them happy!

I’ve been in Nepal since October 31st. I stayed a week in Kathmandu until November 6th and have been in Pokhara ever since. I guess that I am staying here much longer.

I’ll do my regular picture-posting in another post, but here, I want to highlight the beauty of a country that hasn’t forgotten who they are and where they are from. And that’s a great thing, because there is this beautiful culture and a ‘togetherness’ here in Nepal. The people here are really great, fun-loving and very welcoming. There’s a real sense of community here which the West no longer has. This is the source of psychological health for them, as the West sinks deeper into mental illness.

Even the popular Youtube videos that accompany Nepali songs are literally all sweetness, light, harmony, fun and togetherness. No twerking, no profanity, no black rap bullshit, no bad attitudes like in US music videos. Yes, it’s very “bollywood” like Indian culture. But have a quick look at one:

Tahir (Diwali) Celebrations in Pokhara from November 10th to the 14th

I really got to see their deep culture this week with their Diwali (Tihar) celebrations all week. I’ll use some of the text descriptions of this 5 day celebration mostly from Asiahighlights.com:

Each day of Tihar is celebrated through different rituals and traditions. The first three days (November 10th to 12th in 2023) focus on the worship of animals and prayers to Lord Yama (the god of death) and Goddess Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth). In Nepali culture, it is believed that gratitude and worship shown to animals and gods will bring success and luck into people's lives.

The first day is celebrating crows who are considered a messengers of death. It is believed that by feeding and thanking the crows, it is possible to avoid misfortune and that the crows will protect those who feed them from evil.

The second day is thanks and celebrating Dogs (!), who are not only as man's best friend, but are also believed to be the guardians of the gates of heaven in Nepal.

On this day, people thank all dogs, whether they are pets or strays, for their loyalty and friendship by placing a marigold garland around their necks and a red tika mark (a little red dot signifying purity of faith and devotion) on their foreheads.

On the Third Day, Gai Tihar, Cows are considered to be sacred in Hinduism and are symbolic of wealth. This belief stems from ancient times when having a cow was important for the survival of a family.

To thank cows for all they have done for humans, a garland of marigolds is placed around their neck, a red tika is placed on their forehead, and they are fed with the best grass.

The afternoon of the third day is reserved for the worship of Lakshmi. To thank the goddess for all the luck she had brought in the previous year, oil lanterns and candles are lit in houses and temples.

A decorative rangoli (colorful floor mural) is also created in front of a doorway and or window as a symbol of welcoming the prosperity (brought by Lakshmi) that will come in the next year. [Doug here: I’ll post some pictures of this below]

People also draw footprints at the entrance of their homes to symbolize the coming of the goddess. At night, groups of girls go from home to home performing songs and dances in exchange for small amounts of money given by each house.

On the main day of celebrations, cows and the Goddess Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth) are worshipped. Families get together to eat delicious food and cook a large feast and perform the ritual for goddess Lakshmi. They also prepare many delicious sweets to give to visitors and food to give to the crows, dogs, and cows (on their respective worship days).

Cows are considered to be sacred in Hinduism and are symbolic of wealth. This belief stems from ancient times when having a cow was important for the survival of a family.

The subject of worship on the 4^th day (November 13th) depends on the ethnic group and culture the person belongs to: oxen, the Worship of the Ox, Mountain, or Oneself. See the little summary here.

On the last day (November 14th), the bond between brothers and sisters is celebrated through a beautiful ritual.

So, this past week, nearly everywhere you go, young Nepali are dancing and performing their traditional dances to appreciative crowds. The last day is to celebrate brotherhood and sisterhood, but it really feels that the entire 5 days of celebrating is about that. It’s really great!

Rangoli's at each home/business, Dogs and Cows are celebrated as mentioned above

The other interesting thing is that groups of young teen-aged boys or girls are out and about celebrating together and are in a fantastic mood. I’ll just say hello and they are quick to surround me, shake my hand and make a little celebration in the nicest way possible. They dare me to dance and I have to oblige! It’s SO MUCH FUN! There is absolutely nothing thuggish or even remotely rebellious with these beautiful young people. I’ll try to post some pictures and videos to capture this amazing cultural thing. It’s GREAT!!

Their culture is intact even though there is enormous economic stress and very little money, so the situation for many persons is nearly or actually desperate. Wages are incredibly low. I hear that many young Nepalis are leaving the country and going to India, Malaysia or coming across the US southern border as asylum-seekers.

I heard this week that the Nepali government has banned Chinese owned Tik Tok to preserve their culture.

I’ll include some local videos to give you a flavor of their colorful culture (just click to start playing. Feel free to fast-forward through the video ):

Here’s me with a “pack” of roving young men who were in a celebratory mood (and no alcohol or drugs either —(except for me!)

Click on any picture below to open a photo viewer:

Meeting some well-behaved locals who were happy to meet an old dude from the US. The gentleman on the right is Dr. Sharon Thapa, a newly-minted medical doctor who is now practicing in England. We met on a flight from Kathmandu and we went sightseeing together

Just another interesting week in Asia.