The fire crackers started not long after Dasain. The first ones in our road really gave me a shock. Later, when I was speaking to an ex-pat he told me they were a relatively new phenomenon coming from India, a sign of the continuing India-ification of Nepal. Achut told me with some pride that last year he had tried to hit one of the many low-flying aircraft with a rocket, but it couldn't reach.
Tihar, known to most as its Indian name Diwali, is probably the most popular festival amongst the Nepali people. Dasain is the Nepali festival, but Tihar is just more fun. The festival lasts for 5 days, and is to worship Yamraj, the god of death, and Lakshmi, the god of wealth and fortune. The first three days, animals are worshipped as symbols of Yamraj's workers - crows on the first day, dogs on the second and cows on the third. As well as giving puja-ed food to all the animals, dogs and cows are given marigold garlands. The large German Shepherd next door still did look rather scary, but with the orange necklace, I couldn't help but laugh at it trying to bite me through a steel fence.
On the third evening, Lakshmi puja is celebrated, one of the most beautiful sights you can see. We all put on our new clothes from Dasain. Aama and Rachhu drew a mud path up our stairs to the puja room, with flour dots along the path to represent footsteps. All around the house we set up candles inside and out. All the lights were switched on. All of this was to guide Lakshmi to the house, so she can bring wealth and prosperity for the next year. We sat up on the roof and watched all the other houses in our area with their candles, and for the richer people, fairy lights. We bought some fireworks and set them off as well, not managing to shoot down any low flying aircraft with our rockets.
Wandering around the streets were groups of singers performing what is known as Deusi Bhailo - Tihar's version of carol singers. They visit houses and perform traditional dances and songs for anyone who would listen, and expect a rich reward from their audience. Also, this day people gamble as they believe Lakshmi is with them, so their luck should be good. How many of them benefit from Lakshmi's blessing is questionable, I have a feeling even in Nepal, the house will always win in the end.
The next day after breakfast, Aama and Rachhu started to cook sel roti, a doughnut-like bread that is made from rice dough. These are then fried in clarified butter known as ghiu. I think this is one of my favourite Nepali sweet dishes, especially when hot. Rachhu also spent a long time making flower garlands, four in total, to be used the next day. I sat in the sun, ate sel roti and became slowly red from the winter sun. It's a hard life.
The final day of Tihar is known as Bhai Tika. This is a day for brothers and sisters, where sisters place their blessing on their brothers for long life and prosperity, and where the brothers try to add to their sisters prosperity by giving them money. Being a man, If you are unfortunate enough not to have a sister, you can visit Rani Pokhari temple in the middle of Kathmandu, where there are many ladies waiting to bestow blessings, maybe in the hope of receiving some prosperity. This tradition goes back to when in an old kingdom known as Kirat, covering some of modern day Nepal and India, the King fell ill. His sister bartered with Yamaraj, the god of death, to postpone taking her brother into the underworld until several conditions, including waiting until the Tika that she gave him fades away.
For us this meant waiting until the pre-appointed hour, again determined by the chief astrologer, before we could begin. We were not allowed to eat until the puja had been completed. On the veranda outside my room was a layout very similar to that for Dasain, with puja items sitting in front of a carpet rug. Aama's brother had come, and first Aama puja-ed him. Then it was Achut, me and Bhanja's turn. We sat in a row on the carpet whilst Saru and Rachhu walked around the carpet three times, pouring water - ritually cleansing the area. Then the girls gave us oil on the top of our heads and in our ears - I couldn't remember how well I had cleaned my ears that morning, and had a slight panic what they would pull out from my ears when they retracted their hands. Then they did a small amount of flicking powder and throwing flowers, placing flowers on our heads, shoulders and knees. Then they applied the multicoloured Bhai Tika and gave the garland that Rachhu had made the day before. Finally, I gave my small gift to them and knelt down, touching my head to both of their feet, something that made them all laugh. I was handed a tray of food things, cooked sweet breads - including some more sel roti - fruit and spices.
It was a great day, especially as we spent the rest of the time just talking and eating. It wasn't as if I believed in everything that was done for my wealth and long life, but it is so good to have fun with people that are your - adopted - family, enjoy their culture and learn a little bit about them. As Atticus Finch might say, walking around in their shoes.
Tihar was an especially great time for me. Not only was it because all my Nepali family were there, but before Tihar something else had happened. I had met some ex-pats through church, something that isn't actually that normal for me being rather unsociable. I had been told about a man who works in a Hydro-electric engineering NGO, and he might be able to find something useful I could do. So, on the second day of Tihar, I went to visit him. I discussed with him why I was in Nepal, what I did in the UK, and he said that there should be something I could do for them. So, I would start the next week, after the Tihar holiday. I had slightly mixed feelings about working with another NGO that wasn't working in Rajghat. Would I have time to work with Rajghat things? Would this mean that the ideas we had for Rajghat would just have to be stopped? I think though that the thing that will be hardest is losing the flexibility, as I had no work before, I didn't have to be anywhere at anytime. Now I have to be in an office 9-5, or the Nepali equivalent. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully with the experience I get from here, we can get Rajghat things going though. It's not going to be forgotten.
A definitely more upbeat time!
SAM
(Apologies for the lack of photos. Somehow my camera deleted half of the photos on it, but left others. Rather random and very very very annoying.)
And for the mountain man, I'm off to Pokhara in a couple of weeks, so I'll get some better photos then, but for now, the sunsets have been pretty amazing here in the Valley. These are the Ganesh Himal, to the north-west of Kathmandu.
