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Gurung Culture Trek
A
19-year-old girl and her baby
with tika - click to enlarge
Pokhara to Khudi via Pasgoan, Bhujung and
Ghalegaun
Annapurna, Nepal Sept -
Oct 2006
Page 4
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Page 1 Pokhara
to Pasgoan - Notes/Itinerary
Page 2 Bhujung
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Page 3 Ghanpokhara
&
Ghalegaun 4 Dasein
in Ghanpokhara
& Ghalegaun
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See also
Sikles Trek 2006
Page 4:
Dasein in
Ghanpokhara &
Ghalegaun
During Dasein village children ride
on big clunky Ferris wheels and swings
Dasain
Dasain
(Dashain) is a 15-day national festival in September or October,
the longest and most
beloved festival of
Nepal.
This festival is known for emphasis on family gatherings, as well as
on a renewal of community ties. People will return from all parts of
the world, as well as different parts of the country, to celebrate
together. Offices
close, porters are hard to find, and everyone stays home with their
families. People put on new clothes and go to honour their family
elders, where they receive large tikas on their foreheads. Families
and friends unite, blessings are given and gifts are exchanged.
Great
feasts are held and large amounts of meat are consumed.
NB: Klik på billedet for forstørrelse / Click on photos to enlarge
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The
19-year-old girl and her baby paying
a visit to relatives in
Ghanpokhara.
It is only half an hour's walk between
Ghanpokhara and
Ghalegaun |
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In
the villages the children and teenagers gather round the huge swings
and Ferris wheels that are erected every year for the Dasein
festival. Dasein is a time for fun and enjoyment that children look
forward to. The swings are tall and the kids can push the rope seat
dangerously high into the sky, sometimes two kids at a time on a
swing.
The swings are built
using traditional methods (ropes made from tough grass, bamboo
sticks and wood). After the festival the swings and wheels are
dismantled.
NB: Klik på billedet for forstørrelse / Click on photos to enlarge
Animal sacrifices
A male choir performing before the
slaughter of the buffalo
During Dasein buffaloes, goats and chicken are
sacrificed to the goddess Durga to celebrate her victory over evil.
In
poorer families, the animal sacrifice is eagerly anticipated since
it might be the only animal protein the family would eat all year.
In Ghanpokhara a buffalo is slaughtered for Dasein. The head is
severed from the body in one stroke.
In
the morning
in my home in
Ghalegaun the family slaughter a goat.
They are busy cleaning the intestines of the goats.
And as a delicacy I am offered a plate of fried goat blood.
NB: Klik på billedet for forstørrelse / Click on photos to enlarge
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Dal bhat:
The everyday, simple and
nourishing meal
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A
dance performance
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At night the
mother group in
Ghalegaun
organized a dance in the courtyard.
Part of the
Dasein celebrations, I suspected, and I enjoyed the fun, the
young girls dancing and the repetitious patterns of the music
and singing – until I realized that the show had been put on in
my honour, the guest of the village.
During the night they serve me eggs and rakshi,
and finally my brow is decorated with tika (rice paste) and flowers. |
NB: Klik på billedet for forstørrelse / Click on photos to enlarge
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Puspa Gurung (left),
23 years old |
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Tika
On the tenth day of Dasein, a red or white mixture of
rice, yogurt and vermillion is prepared by the women. This is known
as "tika".
Elders put this on the forehead of younger relatives to bless them
with fertility and abundance in the upcoming year.
Puspa Gurung |
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Puspa Gurung
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In
the morning I take tika from grandfather with the rest of the
family. He decorates my forehead with rice paste and throws rice
over my head. After the small ceremony we visit the neighbours and
take tika once more.
NB: Klik på billedet for forstørrelse / Click on photos to enlarge
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At the time of my departure I
receive garlands of flowers and many wishes that I return one
day – which I hope I shall.
I feel in debt to their
hospitality, but for their part they are simply honoured that I
visit them.
Two boys in the village take
me on the steep path down to Khudi. |
The red tika symbolizes the blood that ties the
family together
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Page 1 Pokhara
to Pasgoan - Notes/Itinerary
Page 2 Bhujung
·
Page 3 Ghanpokhara
&
Ghalegaun 4 Dasein
in Ghanpokhara
& Ghalegaun
·
See also
Sikles Trek 2006
Last update October 07
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