We Sing. We Dance. We Fast and Faint.

So a couple of days ago, I experienced my first festival/holiday here in Nepal. It was Teej celebrated by all Hindu women (except for a few select groups like the Newari and Gurung – I think). I’m used to holidays in Uzbekistan where there’s a big program or show and flowers given to everyone. Here… it’s a little different. Teej is kind of like International Women’s Day in that it’s a woman’s holiday… but instead of celebrating women, it’s for praying for the long life of their husbands. Awesome.

My roommates and I headed out to Pashupati (it’s a big temple here in KTM) early on Tuesday morning (yup, a mid-week holiday has definitely thrown me off for the rest of the week) with the promise that we would see amazing singing and dancing from the women of KTM. So we go and are met with a very, very… very long line of women dressed in red saris from head-to-toe. They’re all supposed to be fasting, and I must say, I was a little worried for their health and safety as Tuesday proved to be an amazingly clear and hot day. Who really want to not eat and then sing and dance all day? In the heat? Well, that’s what these women came to do. It was really cool to see everyone decked out in red. I even went out a couple of nights before and bought something red just so I wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb and I don’t even wear red.

So Pashupati apparently means “lord of the cattle” so it’s a major temple here in KTM. While we were there we also go to see a Hindu funeral and the burning of the dead. A little disturbing for me, but the Hindu faith deals with death differently than the Judeo-Christian ways. The funeral was very colorful, with the body of the dead wrapped in vibrant orange and red cloth and flowers. We watched as the men (as they can only perform funeral rites) washed the body in the Bagmati River and then carried it over to be burned. All the while, the women in red are standing in line waiting to get into the temple. There was water available and even some little Nepali Red Cross volunteers to make sure that the women weren’t passing out while waiting in line. We saw a few ambulances carrying off women who had fainted and then later there were reports that 15 women fainted (not a bad ratio once you saw how many people were there). We didn’t see any dancing though… and that was a big disappointment. Wouldn’t it have been so cool (imagine the pictures!) to see thousands of red sari’d women dancing around hoping their husbands live a long time?

Also at Pashupati, there’s a ton of monkeys. And not your average zoo monkeys, but staring you down, ready to take your food and bag, and probably raging rabid monkeys! They circle you like they’re seriously stalking you and are ready to take you away. Also, random fact, did you know that a gang of monkeys is actually called a cartload or a troop? We had no idea! At the time, though, they act like more of a gang. Sure… they look cute when they’ve got their little baby monkeys hanging onto their stomachs or backs, but then you see that crazy look in their eye. I’ve decided to treat all animals I see here in Nepal as rabid. So that means no petting the street dogs, too (which look surprisingly mangier than the ones in Uzbekistan). Fine.

Then my roommates and I headed to Boudha, another little area of KTM. It's the Tibetan community here in Kat. I've got some good pics of the Boudhanath Stupa - one of THE holiest Buddhist spots (and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site). You might recognize it if you've looked at any travel guides or websites about Nepal. I'm pretty sure I'll head back there soon as it's a very laidback and quiet part of KTM (which is hard to find around Patan, where I live).

The next holiday is Dashain, but I heard there’s not so much of a big festival because it’s just when everyone returns home to their families for like a week. If you know any different, let me know. I’m supposed to go trekking then, but wouldn’t mind just a week to explore the valley a little more.

Happy Teej… hope your husbands appreciate the fainting.


I'll be having another photo break soon with some pictures from Pashupati.