Culture Of Nepalease People

Nepal Culture

Nepal is blessed with a rich cultural heritage. Culture has been called 'the way of life for an entire society'. The statement holds particularly true in case of Nepal where every aspect of life, food, clothing and even occupations are culturally classified. In a society so feudalistic and so fractured across class lines, cultural heritage comes as a fresh wind. The culture of Nepal includes the codes of manners, dress, language, rituals, norms of behavior and systems of belief. The culture of Nepal is a unique combination of tradition and novelty. The traditions are followed as they were and new customs are created to keep pace with the changing times. It is surprising to note that a country as poor, illiterate and backward as Nepal displays such flexibility when it come to incorporating traits from other cultures. Culture in Nepal is an assemblage of music, architecture, religion and literature. The mountain kingdom of Nepal is multi-ethic and multi-lingual. The land is rich with unique cultural groups like Tharu,Yadav, Ahir, Newars and others. Nepalese are among the most hospitable hosts. This is the reason for which tourists from far and wide enjoy coming to Nepal time and again. Nepalese are culturally warm, hospitable and affectionate hosts who place their heart above their head. Religion is the lifeblood of the Nepalese. Officially it is a Hindu country, but in practice the religion is a syncretism of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs with a pantheon of Tantrik deities tagged on. Nepal's food is surprisingly dull given that it lies at the intersection of the two great gastronomic giants India and China. Most of the time meals consist of a dish called dhal-bhat-tarkari that is a combination of lentil soup, rice and curried vegetables. It can hardly be considered, a dynamic national cuisine. On the other hand, Nepal has adapted famously to Western tastes, markedly evident in Katmandu's smorgasbord of menus: Mexican tacos; Japanese sukiyaki; Thai chocolate; Chinese marshmallows; onion and minestrone soup; borscht, quiche and soy burgers; and some of the best desserts - apple and lemon pies, almond layer cakes, fruit cakes - found anywhere in the world. A typical Nepalese meal is dal-bhat-tarkari. Dal is a spicy lentil soup, served over bhat (boiled rice), served with tarkari (curried vegetables) together with achar (pickles) or chutni (spicy condiment made from fresh ingredients). The Newar community, however, has its own unique cuisine. It consists of non-vegetarian as well as vegetarian items served with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Mustard oil is the cooking medium and a host of spices, such as cumin, coriander, black peppers, sesame seeds, turmeric, garlic, ginger, methi (fenugreek), bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, chillies, mustard seeds, etc., are used in the cooking. The cuisine served on festivals is generally the best. Costumed Hindu-girls in Nepal. The two small children represent the god Krishna and his consort Radha. Sitting behind are the godVishnu and his consort Lakshmi. Main article: Music of Nepal The Newari Music orchestra consists mainly of percussion instruments, though wind instruments, such as flutes and other similar instruments, are also used. String instruments are very rare. There are songs pertaining to particular seasons and festivals. Paahan chare music is probably the fastest played music whereas the Dapa the slowest. There are certain musical instruments such as Dhimay and Bhusya which are played as instrumental only and are not accompanied with songs. The dhimay music is the loudest one. In the hills, people enjoy their own kind of music, playing saarangi (a string instrument), madal and flute. They also have many popular folk songs known as lok geet and lok dohari. The Newar dances can be broadly classified into masked dances and non-masked dances. The most representative of Newari dances is Lakhey dance. Almost all the settlements of Newaris organise Lakhey dance at least once a year, mostly in the Goonlaa month. So, they are called Goonlaa Lakhey. However, the most famous Lakhey dance is the Majipa Lakhey dance; it is performed by the Ranjitkars of Kathmandu and the celebration continues for the entire week that contains the full moon of Yenlaa month. The Lakhey are considered to be the saviors of children. Folklore is an integral part of Nepalese society. Traditional stories are rooted in the reality of day-to-day life, tales of love, affection and battles as well as demons and ghosts and thus reflect local lifestyles, cultures and beliefs. Many Nepalese folktales are enacted through the medium of dance and music. The Nepali year begins in mid-April and is divided into 12 months. Saturday is the official weekly holiday. Main annual holidays include the National Day, celebrated on the birthday of the king (28 December), Prithvi Jayanti (11 January), Martyr's Day (18 February), and a mix of Hindu and Buddhist festivals such as dashain in autumn, and tihar in late autumn. During tihar, the Newar community also celebrates its New Year as per their local calendar Nepal Sambat. Most houses in rural lowland of Nepal are made up of a tight bamboo framework and walls of a mud and cow-dung mix. These dwellings remain cool in summer and retain warmth in winter. Houses in the hills are usually made of unbaked bricks with thatch or tile roofing. At high elevations construction changes to stone masonry and slate may be used on roofs. Nepal's flag is the only national flag in the world that is not rectangular in shape.[73] According to its official description, the red in the flag stands for victory in war or courage, and is also color of the rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal. Red also stands for aggression. The flag's blue border signifies peace. The curved moon on the flag is a symbol of the peaceful and calm nature of Nepalese, while the sun represents the aggressiveness of Nepalese warriors.

Art And Culture OF Nepal

Bihar boasts of an enviable wealth of rural handicrafts comprising of hand - painted wall hangings,wooden stools, miniatures in paper and leaves, stone pottery, bamboo and leather goods, and applique work. But Bihar's most famous and fascinating indigenous art forms, by far, are its Madhubani Paintings. This art is a strict monopoly of the women of Mithila. Done in primary colours of natural origin on paper and cloth, they narrate mythological and religious events.
North of the river Ganges, in the state of Bihar lies a land called Mithila, shaded by old mango groves and watered by melt water rivers of Nepal and the Himalayas. The men of the community have been famous as priests and scholars. The women largely illiterate, find cultural expression through exquisite paintings created for ritual occasions. They cover their courtyard walls in abstract images in brilliant colour, resembling in form and function the sand paintings of the Navahos. In the 1960s some local officials realised that if the women would only put some of their paintings on paper there might be a worldwide market for their creations. They proved to be correct and it is a mild irony in Mithila that the fame of the women has surpassed that of the men, because Mithila Art, otherwise known as Madhubani Paintings also, is now recognised throughout the world.
The art of Mithila is linked to religious ceremonies,particularly marriage and its consequence, procreation. Interspersed with the Vedic marital rites, with the Sanskrit chanting by the Brahmins, is a tradition controlled by the women and devoted to female deities Durga, Kali and Gauri. The bride and groom are pulled away by the women for their own ceremonies devoted to Gauri in which men other than the groom are forbidden. Gauri is the goddess to whom the bride has prayed since childhood to bring her a good husband. These ceremonies are performed in courtyards before painted images of the goddesses. The function of the paintings being ritualistic the art is very symbolic.
The primordial energy of the universe is embodied in various female forms, both living women and Goddesses. Some common themes include one of the Snake goddess, a form in which snakes are worshipped at Nag Panchmi during the monsoons, a time when snakes abound. Durga astride her tiger is another common representation. Probably the most powerful symbolism is the one associated with Duragoman Puren. A single seed that is dropped in the pond produces many lotus flowers, an appropriate thought for the bride and the groom at the time of their wedding. Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of wealth, is a newer and common addition to the repertoire of Mithila symbolism. Among the male deities Ganesha, Krishna and Shiva are more commonly depicted. Trees, birds and animals are extensively used in combination with other ritual and religious paintings. Sometimes, rarely, one will see these alone without religious implication.
Wall Paintings
The paintings on wall have deeper themes, also narratives, for they are the stories being told sometimes in a series of panels. Apart from their decorative purpose, they also constitute a form of visual education like picture books, from which ones learns of ones heritage. Some outstanding ones are done in the Madhubani area. They have a naivete and simplicity which perhaps is their attraction, that both soothes and pleases the eyes.
The multiarmed DURGA riding the lion flanked by serpents, with their upraised hoods, is awesome. The subject matter varies according to the occassion. The Gods and Goddess are normally there to bless. Their most elaborate picture is in the nuptial chamber the "Kohbar Ghar" designed to bless the couple. Here there will be divine couples like SHIV-PARVATI, RADHA-KRISHNA, then the signs of fertility and prosperity for good luck like elephants, fishes, parrot, turtoil, the Sun, the Moon, bamboo, shrubs in bloom and trees laden with giant flower. The women with very limited resources use indigenous colours that they can make themselves and find bamboo sticks wrapped in cotton for painting. Painting on the wall is communal act done by all the women of a family or group.

Mount Everest Pride Of Nepal

Revered as Chomolungma ("goddess mother of the world") by Tibetans and called Sagarmatha ("goddess of the sky") in Nepal, Mount Everest is the highest mountain peak in the world. Till the advent of 19th century it was known as Peak XV among Westerners. This name was given because of the fact that it was the 15th peak to fall in sight when one starts counting peaks from the Nepalese side. This name was given to Everest way before surveyors established that it was the highest mountain peak on Earth. When this fact was first revealed, it came as a rude shock to the climbers because Peak XV looked smaller than the other Himalayan peaks in the surrounding area. The point of reference and direction were the main reasons behind this illusion.

Although Everest had commanded attraction for many years, it was as late as 1852 that this giant was first measured. Though some sporadic efforts for its measurement were done earlier too but all of them were abandoned in the middle. In the year 1852, The British Trigonometrical Survey of India measured Everest's elevation as 29,002 feet above the sea level. How could, with such limited means and such primitive instruments, anyone find the actual height of the Everest? But surprisingly, that figure was extremely close to the actual height. This remarkably accurate figure remained the officially accepted height for more than one hundred years. It was only in the year 1955 that this figure was slightly adjusted. The adjusted height was merely 26 feet adrift of the 1852 figure. The adjusted figure stands at 29,028 feet (8,848 m). The mountain received its official name in 1865 in honor of Sir George Everest, the British Surveyor General from 1830-1843 who had mapped the Indian subcontinent. He had some reservations about having his name bestowed on the peak, arguing that the mountain should retain its local appellation; a standard policy of the then geographical societies. His thoughts were in accordance to the Victorian norms of that era.

The expeditions to the summit started as early as 1924 when two British climbers tried to scale the Everest. They never returned. After many unsuccessful efforts, came the year 1951. A British expedition led by Eric Shipton and Edmund Hillary, traveled into Nepal to survey a new route via the southern face. Taking their cue from the British, in 1952 Raymond Lambert and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay turned back just 200 meters short of the summit. In 1953, The British expedition, led by John Hunt, returned to Nepal. The first effort failed miserably when the climbers got exhausted. The next day, the expedition made its second and final assault on the summit with its fittest and most determined climbing pair. The New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay from Nepal climbing the South Col Route eventually reached the summit at 11:30 am local time on May 29, 1953. At the time, both acknowledged it as a team effort by the whole expedition, but Tenzing revealed a few years later that Hillary had put his foot on the summit first. They paused at the summit to take photographs and exchange sweets and buried a small cross in the snow before descending. News of the expedition's success reached London on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II coronation. The Queen took it as a good omen and Knighted Hillary and Hunt.

Tourist Guides in Nepal

Tourist Guides in NepalIt is said that however well versed you are about a certain place you need a travel guide to tell you the nuances. It is true for Nepal too. Though, a copy of Lonely Planet Nepal will prove more than handy you must take the help of guides if you want to excuse yourself from minor irritants like dickering and all. There are basically three kinds of guides in Nepal namely, travel, trekking and water guides. These travel guides are versed in different languages. Traveler guides for English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese are the easiest to be found.

The first and the foremost point are to pick up a right kind of guide. Your best bet is a government approved and licensed guide. You can check out the names and rates of these guides on the official tourism website of Nepal or pick up the list from the tourist help cell at the Tribhuwan Airport. These are trained guides and are well versed in the history and culture of Nepal. There is another edge these guides have over the unlicensed guides. In case they cheat you off or run away with your stuff, you can always call on the helpline number and file a complaint against them. Their registration information ensures that they get caught and your stuffs are returned to you with sincere apologies. However these incidents are less likely to happen in case of registered guides.

There are few things to keep in mind as far as guides are concerned. The Nepalese are very touchy people and can't bear insults. So avoid calling names and using slang. You should always keep in mind that the guides are your escorts and not your servant. Therefore make them feel comfortable with you. Things like eating and drinking together only help in strengthening the bond. That will ensure that these guys go out of way to save you extra dimes. Tips and gifts are always welcome, so keep showering these things. Keep these things in mind and your journey will be smoother than you have thought it to be.

Kanchanjangha Tea Estate & Research Centre

Kanchanjangha Tea Estate & Research Centre (KTE) is located at Ranitar in the remote hilly region of Panchthar district in eastern Nepal bordering the tea area of Darjeeling at an altitude of 1300-1800m. The garden lies at the foot hills of Mt. Kanchenjunga which covers the largest vegetation area with a combination of unique blends of natural factors for the growth of exclusive aromatic tea. The enterprise was launched in 1984 by the local farmers on a cooperative model. Over a 100 farmers joined hands, pooled in their marginal land holdings and became owners of the first orthodox tea plantation covering nearly 94 hectares of land. The land which was barely enough to sustain them is now utilized to produce High Quality Organic Orthodox Tea of the Himalayas.
Environmental Protection The Tea Estate meets the present demand for firewood and fodder from 20 hectares of forest land of its own. Vetiver (a plant that binds the soil ) is planted on both sides of the road and all farmers are also encouraged to plant Vetiver around their living quarters as it helps control soil erosion. It is also a source for extra income for them. Kalo Siris (Albezia Sinensis), Asuro (Adhatoda Vesica), Bakaino (Melia Azedarach), Khirro (Sapium Insigne), high in nutrients, are being planted in the garden. Training program for farmers are conducted regularly to develop their skills in IPM, (Integrated Pest Management) composting, environment protection etc. All young children are educated to care for mother EARTH and their society.

TREKKING ANOTHER ADVENTURE IN NEPAL

Globally renowned trekking site in Nepal is no other than Annapurna region which comprises of three major trekking routes lying towards the north of central Nepal: Jomsom, Annapurna Sanctuary, and a circuit of the Annapurna Himal itself. The diverse terrain and the communities with varieties of cultures of the region make this area the most popular trekking areas of Nepal. You are definitely rewarded by sensational mountain scenery, tops are Dhaulagiri (8167m), Annapurna (8091m), Manaslu (8156m), Lamjung Himal (6983m), Machapuchhre (6993m), Tukuche Peak (6920m), Tilicho Peak (7134m), Nilgiri (6940m) and complex assortment of traditional cultural. The Kaligandaki passing between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri is the deepest gorge in the world. Cultural variety from Hindu communities to Buddhist, Aryans to Mongols, famous Gorkha soldiers, fortresses, villages, valleys, most rainy areas to the rain shadow areas of Nepal –all with extreme contrasts from each other make each day's walk a different experience. According to the recent survey held by Modern Maturity (USA), this region has been declared as the world’s most spectacular trekking trails.

Pokhara "The city of lakes” would be either the starting point or ending point of your trek in the Annapurna region. Naturally enriched and picturesque town located at an altitude of 3000 feet is Pokhara, lying on the lap of great massive Himalayan ranges. One of the best tourist destinations, Pokhara is only 200km west of Kathmandu valley. It is within easy access by both air and road.

PARAGLIDING THE ADVENTURE

PARAGLIDING IN NEPAL
To fly like a bird is always the wish of all the people as we feel that birds are always free from all the tensions of life on earth. Though we can not touch the sky as it is limitless, we can experience flying in the sky on our own while paragliding. This is a sport for very experienced people considering the terrain of Nepal and we are here to organize this sport for those who love using their wings to see and experience what is below them.
Paragliding in Nepal can be a truly wonderful and fulfilling experience for the adventure seeking. A trip will take you over some of the best Asahi Trek on earth, as you share airspace with Himalaya griffin vultures, eagles, kites and float villages, monasteries, temples, lakes and jungle, with a fantastic view of the majestic Himalayas. The last three years have seen the activity flourish in Pokhara and it now is an internationally recognized destination for free-flight enthusiasts Gliding as a weather depended sport and the flying season in Nepal commences from November and December. The take-off point for these flights in Sarangkot (1592m), which also offers prime views of Phewa lake and the Mountains at sunrise and sunset (provided the skies and clear) and the landing is by the lake. No previous experience is required as qualified pilots provide a short briefing before launching.