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Society
& Conduct |
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> Travel
Guide > About Nepal
> Society & Conduct |
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The
Nepalese society is far more westernized today than it was fifteen
years ago. This in a way makes it easier for tourists to be
themselves. Guidebooks on Nepal written by foreigners once advised
visitors to avoid wearing tight revealing dresses, but the new
generation of Nepalese thinks nothing of wearing such dresses.
However, westernization is only skin-deep. Most Nepalese are
still conservative in their thinking, conduct and way of life.
The caste system exists in Nepal and still divides society into
upper castes and lower castes. Intermarriage is still frowned
upon but the impact of this unfair system is much less compared
to twenty-five years ago. Today one will notice a sweeper sitting
in a restaurant next to a Brahmin and nobody takes notice. However,
in the villages nothing much has changed and the old prejudices
and superstitions persist and the caste system is very much
in place. Shamans are still more important than doctors in many
parts of the country. Some people of course, will try both.
Nepalese people are by nature friendly and they like tourists.
In fact many villagers find their tall figure and pink faces
amusing. Nepal is famous for smiling villagers and friendly
children who love to chat up tourists. Greet them with a "Namaste"
and they will love it. But don't be surprised if someone replies
back with a "Hello". Most people do not mind you taking
their photographs but it would be appropriate to ask first,
especially when photographing women. Some expect to be paid,
though this should not be encouraged.
Marriage ceremonies and festivals are the most interesting events
in Nepal. With permission it is possible to attend a wedding
and most festivals are open to tourists. You may shoot any amount
of pictures except when asked not to. Hindus have a wedding
season when there are many marriages taking place simultaneously.
It is quite possible that one of your Nepali friends can arrange
an invitation for you.
In most Nepali homes you are expected to leave your shoes outside
the room that you are entering. This is also true for temples
and monasteries. In Hindu temples leather is absolutely taboo.
All belts, handbags and slippers made of leather have to be
left outside and in the important temples there are people on
hand to safeguard your belongings. Non-Hindus are not allowed
within Hindu temples except for some exceptions like the Kumari
House.
The traditional dress worn by Nepali men is known as the daura
suruwaL. This consists of two parts; a tight-legged, baggy-bottomed
trousers that has a drawstring over which is worn a tight fitting
tunic that is tied in place with ties made of cloth. Government
officials wear a western style coat over it. The typical Nepali
hat called a topi is brimless and flat-topped. They come in
two varieties: the plain black and the other known as a Dhaka
Topi, which has colorful patterns on a lighter cloth. The latter
originated in Dacca, and hence the name "Dhaka". The
women's national dress is the Guneu Cholo. This like the men's
wear is a complete set. The top like the daura is tight fitting
with cloth ties. This is known as the Cholo and usually has
simple geometric patterns. The Guneu is like the Indian sari
but does not come above the waist. However these outfits are
being replaced by outside influences and the younger generation
has adopted western and Indian style clothing.
Family and family traditions are central to a Nepali's life.
Extended families still predominate but the new generation is
breaking away from tradition and many newly weds prefer to stay
away from their parents. The Newari family members are closely
tied because of the numerous festivals and other ritual ceremonies
when each one is expected to be present. The Newari women frequently
visit their parents' home even after marriage and often spends
days away from their husband's home.
Rites of passage ceremonies are very important to the Nepalese.
The naming ceremony, the rice feeding ceremony, the coming of
age ceremony, etc. are celebrated by inviting friends and family.
These days even printed invitation cards for such events are
becoming common practice. An interesting 'rites of passage'
ceremony is that of the Newari girl when she reaches puberty.
She is married to a bel fruit in a ceremony called Ihi. It is
believed this practice was started in order to proclaim that
even if her real life husband dies, she is not a widow. Thus
avoiding the need to burn in her deceased husband's funeral
pyre, as was the custom among Hindus some centuries ago. This
practice was known as sati and was banned by the Rana Prime
Minister Jung Bahadur Rana in the 1800s.
Arranged marriages still predominate and it is common practice
to get girls married off early. Most couples barely know each
other before tying the knot. Accepting one's fate is what makes
these marriages successful. The girl herself has little to go
by except the man's appearance unless she has socially known
him before. This system also ensures that marriages take place
between two of the same caste. But this seems set to change
in the future as the younger generation have boy-friends and
girl-friends and they might take matters into their own hands.
This seems most likely as parents today have less control over
their children than they did in the past.
Hindus cremate their dead by the river. Priests conduct the
rituals while also instructing the sons what rites they have
to perform to ensure their father's entry into heaven. Heads
and eyebrows of the sons are shaved soon after cremation and
they are quaranteed for three days. They also have to abstain
from certain foodstuff like salt, meat, oil etc. Among the Brahmins
and Chhetris, the priest prepares a list of things he would
like presented to him which may include a cow, utensils clothing,
etc. This, the grieving family has to provide at all cost. Most
Buddhist in Nepal also cremates their dead but others bury them,
or in some cases as in the mountainous regions, they follow
the Tibetan custom of leaving the body to the vultures and other
scavengers. During the mourning period monks are hired to chant
prayers and conduct the various rituals, which they do accompanied
by the sounding of trumpets (gyaling), drums and cymbals. There
are yet others who follow animistic rites and ceremonies in
which the spirit of the deceased is called and through the shaman,
his wishes are heard and fulfilled as far as possible.
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