CULTURE ::

In this section, we provide information about the religious and cultural activities conducted by our organization in support of the conservation of our culture and tradition. Here, we are going to describe Bel-bivaha, Bratabandha and Deusi-bhailo.

BEL-BIVAHA

It is a religious ceremony performed in the Newar community. It is performed by a female child before she attains her teenage years and lasts for two days. The term Bel refers to a fruit while Bivaha means marriage. So, the term itself signifies the fact that a female child is married to a fruit before she is married to someone else. During this ceremony the female child is decorated as a bride and she is not allowed to have any food containing salt. This kind of religious ritual is performed by the priests of the Newar community. It is treated as a very important ritual to be performed only in the Newar community.

BRATABANDHA

This is also an important ceremony performed by all the Hindus according to their own rights and rituals. This kind of religious activity is performed only by the male children. On this occasion, they shave off their hair; the initiation of the shaving is done by their maternal uncle. The interesting part of this ceremony is that the shaved hair is not to be dropped on the ground and is collected by the child’s aunt and finally driven away in the river. Another important part of this ceremony is fulfilled by teaching the man the Gayatri mantra and allowing them to put a sacred thread upon their body. Although this part of the ceremony varies from caste to caste. The male child must participate in this ceremony, failure to do so results in him not being considered an adult. After the completion of this ceremony in one’s life, he should be participating in every cultural attribute prevalent within the society.

DEUSI-BHAILO

This can be compared with the traditional carols sung in western societies. This kind of performance is conducted on the occasion of the national festival, Tihar. Deusi and Bhailo are two separate categories of performance, one for the males and females respectively. During this festival, people decorate their homes with lights and flowers. It is followed by the worshipping of Goddess Laxmi-a goddess of wealth. During the ceremony, the Deusi and Bhailo performers are provided with money, food and lots of blessings.