(no subject)
Yesterday was the Indrajatta festival in Durbar Square, Kathmandu. It celebrates several things. One is when Indra was sent down by his mother to pick a jasmine that can only be found in the Kathmandu Valley, but in human form, was thought of as a thief stealing the flower from someone's garden and tied up and imprisoned. His mother, seeing it all from heaven, send a thick fog over the valley so that his imprisoners would not be able to see, and then she stole him back. The other that it celebrates is the ritual end of the monsoon season. Finally, and most relevantly, it symbolizes the day that the Kumari - the "Living Goddess" - is paraded around Durbar Square in her chariot and gives symbolic legitimacy to the government (in the past, the King, now, the Prime Minister and President). I am completely against the tradition of the Kumari, as is pretty much everyone else here including the most devout Hindus I know at this college, as it basically steals the childhood and identity of the girl-child chosen as the "goddess" and rather cripples her psychologically, and...well, you can read more about it if you just google around a bit. Regardless, we were still all there to see the Kumari come out, as were...hundreds of thousands?...of Hindus and various tourists.
A lot of people were smoking cigarettes, so I ask Kavita if it's OK for me to smoke, and she said, "Of course!" However, as soon as I do, people start pointing at me. Kavita and Summi laugh, saying that they're all gossiping about me because I'm a girl smoking in public. But, as feminists, they were cheering me on, telling me to do it. Later, a woman asked me something in Nepali, which I did not understand, although I knew it had to do with my tongue ring, as she kept sticking out her tongue, pointing at it, and then pointing at me. Kavita translated for me, saying that she wanted to know if it hurt when I got it pierced. All of the women here have a ton of piercings and tattoos, it's just a part of the culture and religion, but not tongue rings. I responded to her with a smile, "Ali-ali," which means, "A little," and then she told me, "Raamrochha," which means that she likes it. I also pointed to her baby and said, "Usko raamrochha," meaning that I think her baby is cute (raamro is used in many ways, chha is the verb), and she smiled and thanked me. It was super sweet. I've been getting mad intrigued looks but compliments on my tongue ring nearly everyplace I go - all of the women seem to find it strange but appealing. In fact, the girl I was sitting next to on the plane into Kathmandu - she was also 21 - told me that if she lived in America, she would get one done as well.
Later, before the festival started, there was a loud cheering of sorts and a bunch of papers and black flags were thrown, and I cheered as well, thinking it was the beginning of the festival. Turns out it was a protest against the Prime Minister. Kavita laughed, saying, "Now, not only are you the scandalous female smoking a cigarette in public, but you're also cheering for the resignation and demise of the Prime Minister! They must think you have quite radical political beliefs!" Haha, I was a bit embarrassed. However, of course, a Maoist riot broke out, so we had to quickly evacuate, before the Kumari's chariot came around. The riot wasn't too bad, the Himalayan Times reported the next day that something like seven police officers were injured, and one is in critical condition.
Well, there's my first Hindu festival and first escape from a Maoist riot, all in one day!
A lot of people were smoking cigarettes, so I ask Kavita if it's OK for me to smoke, and she said, "Of course!" However, as soon as I do, people start pointing at me. Kavita and Summi laugh, saying that they're all gossiping about me because I'm a girl smoking in public. But, as feminists, they were cheering me on, telling me to do it. Later, a woman asked me something in Nepali, which I did not understand, although I knew it had to do with my tongue ring, as she kept sticking out her tongue, pointing at it, and then pointing at me. Kavita translated for me, saying that she wanted to know if it hurt when I got it pierced. All of the women here have a ton of piercings and tattoos, it's just a part of the culture and religion, but not tongue rings. I responded to her with a smile, "Ali-ali," which means, "A little," and then she told me, "Raamrochha," which means that she likes it. I also pointed to her baby and said, "Usko raamrochha," meaning that I think her baby is cute (raamro is used in many ways, chha is the verb), and she smiled and thanked me. It was super sweet. I've been getting mad intrigued looks but compliments on my tongue ring nearly everyplace I go - all of the women seem to find it strange but appealing. In fact, the girl I was sitting next to on the plane into Kathmandu - she was also 21 - told me that if she lived in America, she would get one done as well.
Later, before the festival started, there was a loud cheering of sorts and a bunch of papers and black flags were thrown, and I cheered as well, thinking it was the beginning of the festival. Turns out it was a protest against the Prime Minister. Kavita laughed, saying, "Now, not only are you the scandalous female smoking a cigarette in public, but you're also cheering for the resignation and demise of the Prime Minister! They must think you have quite radical political beliefs!" Haha, I was a bit embarrassed. However, of course, a Maoist riot broke out, so we had to quickly evacuate, before the Kumari's chariot came around. The riot wasn't too bad, the Himalayan Times reported the next day that something like seven police officers were injured, and one is in critical condition.
Well, there's my first Hindu festival and first escape from a Maoist riot, all in one day!