Dashain day II -IV (Tamangstyle)
Second day at countryside – Dashain day II – Tamang style.
Life start early at countryside.
Pramod was waked-up because we had a call of a guest that wasn’t picked-up at 5 in the morning at her hotel.
Because the connecting inside the house isn’t so good, we came outside.
Pramod’s mother was already washing clothes and father was also already working.
So you see live at countryside starts very early – but they also go asleep early. Around 20:30.
In the morning many villagers come on visit – who ever arrive around food time – just get a plate an eat together with the family.
It is festival time and just like in our culture people drink something – here they start also from lunchtime drinking their local spirit, called roxy … a strong, 50-degree, homemade alcohol.
So you see across cultures maybe the reason for party is different- but everywhere party means eating – drinking – gathering together.
The second day of Dashain, they kill a buffalo, the meat of the animal is distributing to five families – who then will eat the coming days all of the buffalo.
Why they kill a buffalo?
The story goes that some deity, durga, conquered a bad spirit who was hidden in the belly of a buffalo.
We also heard today that the youngest brother of Pramod is going to get marry.
It is a love marriage, what is not always like that in Nepal.
More than fifty percent of the marriages are still arranged marriage.
How is that going an arranged marriage in Nepal?
When the boy feels ready to marry – somebody of the village go to another village looking for a suitable girl.
When they find somebody then first the families meet – when they both agree then the boy and girl meet to get to know each other.
In the coming three months they meet and talk with each other. If they also agree then they marry – if it isn’t a match then the marriage doesn’t take place.
Nepal has a low divorce percentage – many arranged marriage is successful because their way of thinking is how can we built a happy life together … and when obstacles come in their life, they accept because that is life and look away out of it together.
The rest of the day depend a little bit of person, some go playing football, others are cleaning the buffalo, because they eat everything of the animal, and others are just hanging around.
We had a bit of a lazy day.
Talking with family, making a walk, looking a Nepali movie and eating.
As other days we were already in bed around 20:30.
Tirth day at countryside – Dashain day III– Tamang style
All family is already awaked at 6 o’clock.
They start the day with some tea and a talk.
Around 9:30 o’clock they eat already their first hot meal, Dall Bhat but with buffalo meat.
This day is like a resting day – nothing specially.
Young men are just hanging around – talking and spending time together.
Women more washing – cooking – … and in afternoon also talking together.
I would say a normal day out of life.
In the afternoon Pramod took me for a walk around in the village, it isn’t flat here, all is up and down … sometimes you are wondering how thy ever could make their houses.
We pass houses where guys are playing cards, seems like in festival time they like to play 24 hours these card games.
Jungle is very close here – here are living monkeys, deer’s, cheetah, jackal, … and of course snakes.
Pramod say it is one change on 1000 to see a snake, but as I am always the lucky one, I am a little bit prepared.
We walk through grass and came on the local hospital, where is also a spring where people come who don’t have tap water.
From there we go down again and see the other part of the village, in total there are 200 houses in the village.
We make one round up and down – with some places not easy stones … they think if Pramod need to help me I am old L but they are born and raised here so from child they play and run up and down.
Around 16 o’clock people eat a what they call a snack – I call it a meal.
They eat a kind of rice with meat and because it is festival time – with their local wine or beer.
Around 19 then it is time for dinner and at 20:30 bedtime.
Fourth day at countryside – Dashain day IV– Tamang style.
Today is the main day.
I call it like new year because on this day all younger people who to visit the elder ones.
The day start with cleaning the house and everybody need to wear new clothes.
Around 11 o’clock the father of the house place tikka, kind of blessing, on all the family members.
The start with the oldest child, and wife, and so go down.
Last father place Tikka on his wife.
(see pictures and video of the ceremony on Facebook).
Then the whole family eat together and slowly other people arrive to pay their respect.
Some bring some gifts; they get Tikka and receive some money.
They are coming and going is like that for five days.
We also needed to pay our respect to the elder.
So we went up higher the mountain to the elder family of Pramod’s mother.
Everywhere we receive Tikka, everywhere we need to eat and drink …
The most like to drink their local wine, roxy, what is for me to strong L.
Give me the Nepali beer much better.
For me it is very hard here, everybody wants to talk but I don’t understand one word.
And even if I learn Nepali still would be hard because they speak their local language Tamang, though everybody also speaks Nepali.
But when they are together, they talk their local language and for what I already know it doesn’t sound the same.
For example rice is in Nepali Bhat and in Tamang can … so still long way to go.
And when many Nepali are together you would run away.
They talk very loudly … seems like shouting even women … So sometimes I all ask Pramod to make a walk together to be in the open air … space and peace ;-).
Evening time we gather around with the family because tomorrow we will travel back to the capital, Kathmandu.
For pictures have a look on our facebookaccount; https://www.facebook.com/TaraHimalayanVision/
