Tag: Cultural corner

There are two winters in Nepal

31 December 2021
Stella Deetjen
Uncategorized

Hemanta & Shishir Nepal has 6 seasons to offer Once you have been to Nepal, you will probably never forget the country. It’s wonderful. The nature is incomparable from the lowlands in the south, the Terai, which is only 70 meters above sea level, to the highlands in the north, which include Mount Everest as the highest point in the world. The altitude rises slowly, making Nepal an extremely geographically diverse country. The diversity is also reflected in the six seasons:– Winter: Shishir– Spring: Basanta– dry summer: Grishma– Late summer with monsoon...

Rainy season

A natural phenomenon with two faces The term monsoon is derived from the Arabic word ‘Mausam’ for season, which is what it means in the language. This term was first used in English in British India and neighboring countries to denote the large seasonal winds that bring heavy rains to the region. A boon for agriculture The three-month monsoon season in Nepal is the main rainy season of the year between mid-June and the end of September, which is also the summer time. During the monsoons it rains almost every day, often accompanied by powerful thunderstorms. The monsoons are...

Mugu – Standstill in the snow

In Mugu, our project area in the high mountains of Nepal, everything changes from one moment to the next when it snows. The footpaths between the mountain villages ice up, become slippery and extremely dangerous, especially for those who carry heavy loads. In the event of prolonged snowfall, the local markets quickly run out of supplies. Many lose their earnings. Life is going to be hard for the mountain farmers because they can no longer let their cattle graze and have to carefully organize the hay supplies in order to make ends meet. If the onset of winter is long, the animals and often...

A look back and ahead. Loharbada in the Mugu Mountains.

When program director Dikendra Dhakal looks around Loharbada today, he can hardly believe it. “When we first arrived here 10 years ago, not only was the standard of living extremely low, but hygienic conditions were actually non-existent.” The people did their “business” on the doorstep, mushy animal excrement covered the paths, and it smelled like hell. Swarms of house flies sat everywhere: on the children’s faces, on the food. People rarely washed themselves or their clothes, and sewage was simply poured into the alley. The open cooking fire was smoking in and...

Sheep farming in Mugu

A tradition that needs to be revived Our project region Mugu consists of two regions named after the indigenous people: the upper Jadan and the lower Khasan. The Jad are Tibetan lamas, the people of the southern Khas region, who came from northwest India. Both brought important knowledge with them: the Khas had agricultural experience and had metal weapons, the Jadan people were sheep farmers. The combination of both formed a good basis for securing livelihoods in the region. “ WE CANNOT IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT SHEEP. WE ARE INEXPECTIVELY LINKED TO YOU. “ THE SHEEP AS THE BASIS...

Keepers of balance – the shamans of Nepal

The full moon is over the mountains, the ceremony has already begun. A young woman in the village who is plagued by an inexplicable disease has visited the shaman in the community’s “Than” temple. She asks advice on what to do about her unbearable stomach ache. Offerings for diagnosis and healing With due respect, she enters the unadorned hut, only red and white strips of fabric dangle from the roof beams down into the room. A simple stone lies in the center of the room as a symbol of the incarnation for the deity Masto. Husband and grandmother accompany the young woman....

The life of the Tharu – the “people of the forest”

It is the first national park that was established in Nepal: Since 1973 the Chitwan National Park has been the sanctuary of 68 different mammals – including the famous Bengal tiger. The population of endangered animals rose from 25 at that time to 110 today: a unique success that proves the effectiveness of large-scale protection zones. The park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. LIFE LIKE IN THE JUNGLE BOOKBut besides the unique nature of the jungle landscape and many other exotic animals such as free-roaming armored rhinos, crocodiles, monkeys and wild elephants, hundreds...

The Chepang

In the small wooden house that is only covered with straw, the ragged sleeping mats lie on the floor. A “jaabi” hangs on the wall, a bag made of plant fibers. It collects wild fruits, berries and edibles from the neighboring forest. The Chepang still have their nomadic life in their blood, even if they were forcibly settled almost 100 years ago. The peaceful, friendly ethnic group is considered the forgotten ethnic group of Nepal. They are among the poorest, the uneducated, who would be reluctant to ask for help themselves – even if they were ignorant of their rights. A nomandic culture...

The Tamang

The hand drum “Damphu” heats up the rhythm. The dancers get faster, their movements wilder. The dance “Tamang Selo” pulls everyone under its spell. The Tamang, one of the largest Tibetan-Burmese-speaking ethnic groups in Nepal, maintain their numerous traditions that they originally brought with them from Tibet. They have lived in the Kathmandu valley and the central hill country since the 3rd century. Rich culture and modern at the same time The Tamang also like to appear traditional on the outside: On special days, many women wear their unusual traditional costumes...

Nepal in profile

Nepal is located in South Asia between Tibet in the north and India in the south. It has an area of 147,516 square kilometers, around 40% the size of Germany. 39% of the 30 million people live below the poverty line of $ 3.20 per person per day (World Bank, 2019). The average age of the population is 21 years. 30% of Nepal’s economic output is provided by the 3 million Nepali who work as guest workers abroad, often under unworthy conditions. Nepal is located in a seismically active zone, and the Himalayan region in particular is considered to be highly prone to earthquakes. The last...

A day in the life of the Alimaya

Alimaya is 11 years old and lives with her parents and two siblings (eight and 14 years old) in a remote village in the hills north of the well-known Chitwan National Park. Three other siblings are already away from home and are married. Her family belongs to the indigenous Chepang people. The little one is one of our Back to Life sponsored children and has been supported for some time by a committed couple from Germany with whom she regularly exchanges letters. The standard of living in their village is very low, there is no electricity and no running water. The families live in simple, self-made...