(NP): Nepal clings to tradition at festival time

[Guest guest]

*It was a major disappointment for animal welfare organisations to find that

state sponsored animal sacrifice could not be halted, not even by a Maoist

led government. Many of us go underground during Dasain (in good old Maoist

tradition) to avoid scenes of goats and mountain sheep being thrown on buses

or motorbikes and public beheadings. It's hard to find a hotel that does not

sacrifice animals, and even if they don't bodies of slaughtered animals are

carried in through the back door. The smell of stressed animals and blood

pervades the country. The fact that animal sacrifice is now being used to

empower communities who feel marginalised is distressing. A joint campaign

between religious groups, vegetarians and animal welfare activists is needed

to counterbalance the present political developments. The rally organised by

Ban Animal Sacrifice Coalition, which drew over a thousand people, is a

promising start. For more information see www.animalnepal.blogspot.com*

 

 

Published: October 10,2008

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Nepal Clings to Tradition at Festival Time

 

By John Child in Kathmandu

 

Despite the political upheaval that brought once-rebel Maoists to power in

the " New Nepal, " people here are fiercely holding on to the old ways during

the *Dashain holidays*.

 

When Maoist number-two, Finance Minister Bhattarai, announced the budget two

weeks ago, he cut $160,000 traditionally paid for animals to be sacrificed

during Dashain and other festivals. Enraged residents of Kathmandu closed

the city for two days in protest. Whether the measure was purely financial

or also motivated by ideology, the finance minister quickly relented, and

the blood money was reinstated.

 

And despite ideology, this week the state Kumari, a young girl who embodies

the goddess worshipped during Dashain, was replaced per ancient tradition

when she came of age. The girl is a religious figure, but the institution

has deep ties to the monarchy: One of the kumari's duties until last year

was to bless the king annually. Recently the Nepali courts ordered the

kumari to receive formal education, and leftist leaders had argued that the

institution should be allowed to expire. Nonetheless the Nepali president

and ex-royal priests followed tradition, with the acquiescence of the Maoist

leadership.

 

And the old tradition of fleecing travelers trying to return to their

ancestral homes for the holiday remains in full flower. Passengers claimed

that all seats for some routes had been booked by brokers, who sold them at

inflated prices. Special flights at low fares ordered by the state-run

airline were blocked by local airport officials, who said they hadn't

received the necessary paperwork. That and bad weather in the high mountains

increased travelers' frustration and willingness to pay the traditional

bribes.

 

Business houses and newspapers remained shut all week as normal, with retail

stores open for the holiday rush. Nepalis spend heavily at Dashain, as

westerners do during the Christmas holidays. Even with food and energy

prices sharply higher this year, that tradition seems unchanged.

Motorcyclists carrying goats and chickens, popular sacrifices to the goddess

during Dashain, wove in and out of traffic as usual.

 

And just as always, less-than-efficient Nepal ground largely to a halt days

before the holiday began. " Dashain lagyo malai, " people say: " I'm feeling

Dashain [holiday spirit] " . The same was true for political Nepal too: Almost

6 months after elections, the government hasn't gotten down to work. The

prime minister was out of the country doing international rounds for all but

eight days of his first 35 days in office and is now enjoying his holidays.

 

The torpor will continue for a long while yet: Two weeks from Sunday another

week-long holiday, Tihar, the festival of lights, begins.

 

Next week when the media return to work we will learn how the Maoist leaders

spent their Dashain. It would be no surprise to find that they celebrated

very traditionally. After their accession to power and in the run-up to the

holidays, prominent leftish ideologues were spotted at temples and receiving

blessings.

 

Despite being Communists, Nepal's Maoists know how deeply rooted religion

and tradition are here. And when they forget, as the finance minister

briefly did, Nepalis are quite ready to remind them.

 

*John Child is The NewsBlaze Nepal Correspondent, a journalist in Kathmandu

who writes about goings-on in and around Nepal and her neighbors.*

 

http://newsblaze.com/story/20081010090729chil.nb/topstory.html

 

Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze, Daily News <http://newsblaze.com/>

Tags: new nepal, dashain festival, political upheaval, kumari

 

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Lucia de Vries

Freelance Journalist

Bagdol, Patan, Nepal

Wijk 4-47, 8321 GE Urk, Holland