FESTIVALS Changing With The Pace

September 3, 2004
12 MIN READ
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With the increase in the population, Kathmandu valley’s dynamics and structures of population have changed. New migrant families are coming up and the structures of old families are transforming from extended ones to nucleus. The family relation is no more confined to a particular locality and caste as it has become heterogeneous in nature. Many families even have married relations to international families. Since valley has turned into a metropolitan, one can witness the transformation taking place in our age-old rituals, festivals and cultures. From celebrating rituals to marriage, the valley has seen drastic and dramatic transformation. Traditional systems are fading away and new system is gradually replacing the older one. As usual, Kathmandu valley is embracing change keeping intact its tradition of harmony and accommodation

By KESHAB POUDEL

“Kathmandu was always changing, ever the same, inevitable fascinating,” said Desmond Doig, one of the prominent writer and adventurist, who has written a number of articles on Kathmandu’s temples, festivals and lifestyle. Although Desmond Doig died about two decades ago, his observations are still valid.

Valley’s three main river systems – which were the part and parcel of the valley’s rituals and festivals – are polluted and the banks are covered by new buildings and crowded market. Many spaces and places – which used to be a part of the festival cycles – have already disappeared.

Despite the change in the physical landscape, people continue to perform the rituals for symbolic value. There have been certain modifications in the traditional lifestyles but it still preserves some of its core values and symbols.

“Of course, communities are gradually giving up the habit of practicing rituals and festivals, individuals are still performing them as a symbolic value. This is a part of transformation,” said professor Dr. Rishikeshab Raj Regmi.

When Kathmandu valley, which was isolated from the rest of the world, was opened in 1950, only a few could imagine that the situation would change to what it is today. Covered by green and fertile land and sporadically isolated settlements, the valleys’ population was homogenous.

Festivals Add Color

One of the important aspects of life of the valley was that it was colorful as there were many festivals in the annual calendar. “The entire year is a series of festival in Nepal. The celebration mark religious events, life-cycle ceremonies, and the marking of historical events and seasons. Time is divided between work and worship, and hardly a week passes without some festival being celebrated somewhere in the country,” said Dr. Regmi.

“As diverse as the ethnic make-up of the population, the festivals of Nepal reflect the cultural mosaic that is the Kingdom.”

Even Daniel Wright, British resident representative to Nepal wrote “As the shrines in Nepal are estimated at the modest number of 2,733, it may naturally be supposed that the religious festivals are somewhat numerous. To the stranger indeed they seem never ending, and marvel is when people find time to earn their livelihood.”

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With the growth of population and the expansion of new settlements, the valley’s green rice fields – which are the sources of valley’s festivals – have turned into the concrete jungle. There is reduction in the festivities. Three decades ago, it was subsistence-based society with a very little integration with the rest of the Kingdom. The opening up the roads and urbanization of the valley paved the way for integration with the rest of the Kingdom. This integration increased the economic values of the land.

After the restoration of democracy in 1990 and opening up of the shortest route to Kathmandu through Mugling-Narayanghat, the distance of the capital has shortened. As the country is integrated with the rest of the capital, the marriage and family structures have also transformed. Not only the inter-caste marriage – though it is still insignificant among different castes and ethnic groups – but also the exposure of Nepalese citizens to the outside world has resulted in increasing number of Nepalese families that have international relations.

Today, many families in the valley have international connections. From a family of major industrialist to a commoner and from royalty to others, the families have become internationalized. Many families have marriages relations with Chinese, Japanese, European, Thai, American and other international community.

Sanubhai’s Story

Sanubhai Maharjan, 58, a resident of Handigaun, has four daughters and a son. Maharjan’s son is now in Canada married to a girl from a Caribbean country. His younger daughter is married to a Sherpa, older to a Brahmin of Biratnagar and other two daughters married to Maharjan community.

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Sanubhai still celebrates the festivals regularly although there has been marked change in
the foods they use and the pattern of celebration. “We still celebrate Janai Purnima and Byanpuja (Frogs Feeding) but in a different way,” said Maharjan. “We have sold all our lands so my wife puts rice at the top of the Baranda of my house to offer it to frog. Earlier we used to visit our fields to feed frogs. We still cook Kawanti (beans) to observe the Janai Purnima.”

Sanubhai and his wife – who have not yet met with their only daughter-in-law – are
happy as usual observing festivals including Gaijatra and Ghantakarna.

Gone are the days when Sanubhai, when younger, had to walk to his land near Dhobikhola carrying rice, beans and bread for frogs. “During those days, these were the very things we ate at home.”

Maharjan is not alone to have such a heterogeneous family representing different race and caste. There are thousands of people like Maharjan whose family structures have already transformed pushing forth reforms in the traditional festivals.

“Nepal’s traditional culture has been transforming since it was exposed to the western and other culture. We inherited many things from outside. You can see this change in the festivals,” said anthropologist Padma Lal Devkota. “Whether in Gaijatra or Janai Purnima or Ghantakarna, youths celebrate the festival carrying many western taste.”

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In traditional society, the festivals used to be modes for entertainment as there were only limited ways to entertain. The situation has changed now and there are various forms of entertainment available these days.

The introduction of satellite cable television channel has already offered a new vista of entertainment. Nobody needs to go outside to watch festivals.

Some festivals are related to the political life of the people. The Gaijatra – a cow festival to honor the dead – is also known as a festival to pass satires at any political issue. During Panchayat days when all political activities were banned, artistes used to expose the political and other matters through this festival. Following the restoration of democracy, however, the situation has changed. Now the artistes, newspapers and humorists do not have to wait for Gaijatra to poke fun at politics and political leaders.

Season of Festivals

Nepal’s major festival season begins from the end of June. From the beginning of Ghantakarna, residents of valley begin to celebrate. The festival cycle ends after the festival of light “Tihar” or the beginning of harvesting time.

“During the festivals, the people of Nepal pay the debts of their gods and teachers. There are chariot processions of deities, religious masked dances, musical fetes, and colorful rituals. These centuries- old traditions are both a display of religious devotion and expression of the joy of life. As diverse as the ethnic make-up of the population, the festivals of Nepal reflect the cultural mosaic that is the kingdom,” said Dr. Regmi.

Festivals of Life

Most of the festivals in Nepal are related to the monsoon, harvesting and farming. Be it a Nagpanchami or Gunapuni (Janai Purnima), Frog feeding, all are related to the farming cycle. At the end of July or beginning of August, the festival of Nag Panchami is observed to honor Nagas (serpents). Nagas are known as God with all sorts of magical powers including special powers over the monsoon. On that occasion, pictures of serpents are hung over the doorways of houses with a belief that this will keep at bay the snakes and all other things harmful.

Although the festival of feeding and worshiping the frog is an important one widely celebrated by the farmer community, it is overshadowed by other events that fall on the same day. On the same day, men from Brahmin and Chhetri caste change their Janai (scared thread), which they wear looped over the shoulder. Likewise, people also wear a scared yellow thread on the wrist to mark the festival.

Gu(n)lathwa, Gunhi or Guni Punhi, is also one of the important festivals that are observed by major religious sects of the valley.

Gone are the days when most farmers used to visit their paddy fields to feed and worship
the frogs. As paddy fields within the three cities of the valley have already vanished to make room for the concrete buildings, only the farmers living in the outskirts perform these rituals while most other farmers who have already sold their lands offer the food (to frog) at their home, instead.

The modernization have brought in the physical and economic prosperity among the farmer community in the valley. However, the economic prosperity was achieved at the cost of centuries old practices.

Astaman Tandukar, 87, a resident of Koteswor, has already sold his paddy land to construct a concrete building. Standing at the balcony of his new building, Tandukar looks worried when he sees his sons, daughter-in-laws and grandsons, granddaughters celebrating the Guna Puni by watching M.TV and Bollywood films. MTV, cable channels and Bollywood have overtaken the ancient tradition of feeding and worshiping the frogs.

The four lunar fortnights with the last day of Gu(n)latha in August and ending with day of the elaborate autumn harvest festival, Mohani, on the tenth day of Kachalathwa (September/October) contain thirty-one days of the year’s densest season of such events. This is also the quietest segment as far as the agricultural farming cycle is concerned. The rice planting is completed by mid-July and harvesting will be done only in November after the festival season ends.

“There are special ceremonies among farmers in Bhaktapur, including the worship of frogs ( whom farmers inadvertently kill while working in the fields), who help protect those fields from malevolent spirits,” writes Robert I. Levy, professor of anthropology at the University of California, San Diego, in his book Microcosm, Hinduism and the Organization of a Traditional Newar City in Nepal.

The entire year is a series of festivals and the celebrations mark religious events, life cycle. “From dogs, cows and bulls, crow, snakes, Nepalese worship all kinds of animals. Worshiping the frogs is also related to rainfall,” said Dr. Regmi, an anthropologist. “The people of valley also give importance to Nagas or serpent in both Hindu and the Buddhist context as it is a primary symbol of water and rain.”

“Feeding frog seems to be an insignificant event but it has greater importance in the farmer family whose livelihood relies on good harvest of the paddy as it is one of the main crops needed to sustain the family. Frog – a small animal that lives in or near water – is a farmer’s friend in the sense that the paddy requires much water to make good harvest. The life of frogs depend on water just like the farmer’s livelihood,” said Dr. Safalya Amatya, a renowned archeologist.

“We pay respect to different kinds of animals, insects and plants in accordance to their characters. From frogs to the Himalayas, our culture suggests the harmonization to appease all insects and animals. Since the frogs generally appear during the rainy season so the farmers feed them,” said Dr. Amatya. “There is also a widely accepted belief that the croaking of frog brings rainfall.”

Bean of Nine Varieties

Along with other foods, the farmers also offer frogs a special kind of soup prepared from nine varieties of beans. According to the farmers, the soup will protect them from intestinal ailments. The soup is known as Kawanti, which the farmers put in the different corners of their own field.

“We don’t have any paddy fields now but I still practice the ritual of feeding the frogs,” said Tandukar, 87. ” My sons and daughter- in-law, daughters and grandsons don’t know what the feeding of the frog is all about,” said Tandukar.

Farmers believe that the frogs will protect their rice till the time of harvesting. “My grand father and father often said that more the frogs in the paddy field better the harvesting would be,” said Tandukar. “When I was child, my parents taught me how to carry out traditional practices passed out by earlier generation. I might be the last generation in my family to carry out the frog feeding ceremony.”

Reforms In Festivals

As society gets more complicated, rituals and festivals are gradually transforming. Thanks to the commercialization of activities, people hardly find time to perform the festivals like in the past.

Earlier cow dung – which was used in pasting the poster of snakes during Nagapanchami – has become a rare commodity and people now apply gum instead. This modification helps to make the festival more hygienic. As most of the rivers in the valley are polluted, high class Brahmin and Chettris change their sacred thread Janai at home instead of following the age-old practice of doing so at the riverbanks.

Similarly, Narkat – stalk of the grass – are not available in abundance these days forcing the farmers to make the effigies by using other things like pipes and plastics to make scarecrow in their fields.

The food habit also has seen drastic changes in urban areas. Almost all Brahmin and Chettri community – which did not use to touch meat – are now consuming it.

“At a time when structures and nature of families are changing from just localized to international, reform is required to accommodate all,” said a cultural expert.

Although the culture is changing in core urban areas, it continues to be the same even at the periphery of the Kathmandu (Kantha). They still retain a number of festivals and rituals. The reform entering in the urban areas might need time to travel to the periphery.