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Nepal Culture |
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Nepal's
culture is greatly influenced by its music,
architecture, religion and literature. The various
temples, churches, monasteries and other religious
buildings are on the every corner of Nepal. Nepal has
about thirty-six different ethnic groups and multiple
religions and languages. Its music is similarly varied,
with pop, religious, classical and folk music being
popular. Musical genres from Tibet and Hindustan have
greatly influenced Nepalese music. Usually, women, even
of the musician castes, do not play music except for
specific situations, such as at the traditional
all-female wedding parties. Nepal is constitutionally a
Hindu kingdom with legal provisions |
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of no
prejudice against other religions. The Hindu inhabitants in
the country has been constantly over 80 percent since the
1950s. The second largest religion of Nepal is Buddhism, it is
practiced by about 11 percent, while Islam comprises of about
4.2 percent of the population. The Kirat religion makes up
nearly 3.6 percent of the population. Nepal has many customs
and beliefs that might be difficult to understand and not so
easy to obey but this is the way of life to them and you
should respect it when you are in their territory. Do not feel
offended if any Nepalese hesitates to shake hands with you
because it hasn't been very long since the western traditions
were introduced to them. Most Nepalese greet one another by a
“Namaste”, a common act done by putting the palms together in
a prayer like gesture. It is customary to eat and deal with
food with your right hand. They use their left hand to wash
themselves after being to the toilet. Note that most Nepalese
eat with their hands, forks and spoons are not very common.
Note that men and woman should always dress appropriately. Men
should not walk or trek bare-chested, shorts are acceptable
but it's recommended to rather wear long pants. Woman are
recommended to wear long skirts that cover the ankles, because
exposure of a woman's legs can draw unnecessary attention.
Showing affection between men and woman in public is not
acceptable.
Religions in Nepal
Like their various art forms, Nepal culture is also
intrinsically intertwined with their many religious beliefs.
Hinduism and Buddhism are the two major religions of Nepal and
observers of these various faiths enjoy a sense of
fellow-feeling by worshiping many of the same gods. Many
customs and traditions stem from deity worship related to
these two faiths. Various festivals related to religious
beliefs are celebrated across the country and deeply influence
the lives of many of the people living here. Dress, grooming
and decorative jewellery is also influenced by religion.
Foreigners may find it difficult to comprehend why Nepalese
people hold to their beliefs and traditions but the religious
nature of the culture has to be thoroughly explored in order
for them to better understand various matters. For the
Nepalese people, it is a way of life – not a choice of how to
live.
Nepal is primarily a Hindu country with about 90% of the
population claiming to adhere to the faith. However, members
of the Buddhist faith are often so closely linked to those of
the Hindu faith that it can be difficult to tell them apart.
Thus in Nepal, religion serves to bind many people together
instead of having the dividing effect that can be seen in
other countries with adherents of other faiths. Religion in
Nepal is, to a large degree, a matter of national identity.
Religious beliefs influence culture, art, music and
architecture and many other facets of life. About 5% people
are Buddhists, 3% are Muslim, 2% belongs to Christianity.
Because of the high ratio of Hindu believers and the large
role that this religion plays in the everyday lives of the
people, Nepal was constitutionally declared as a Hindu state
in the early 1990s. However some feel that the number of Hindu
practitioners is hard to estimate because there is a sort of
‘interfaith’ which is commonly practiced in the country
between Hindus and Buddhists. Many Hindus worship at Buddhists
temples and visa versa which has led to a sort of
intermingling of the two faiths and much more mutual respect
that would be found elsewhere in the world. Because of this
intermingling, the differences between members of the two
faiths in this country are very less. Often times those who
claim to belong to the Hindu faith could just as easily be
adherents of Buddhism. When one considers the geographical
distribution of the various religious groups, they will find
that Hindus account for at least 87% percent of the general
population in every region. There is a concentration of
Buddhists in the eastern hills, the central Tarai and
Kathmandu Valley. Very often religion is dictated by tribal
origins and members rarely deviate from the faith that they
were raised with. Hinduism is regarded by many as being the
oldest formal religion known today. It is said that the
origins of the religion go back to pastoral Aryan tribes.
Hinduism had no single founder and a collection of hymns from
northern India, known as the Vedas, form the basis for the
theological and philosophical teachings of the faith. Buddhism
is said to be derived from Hinduism as its founder, Siddhartha
Gautama, was originally a Hindu. When one considers the
religious history of the country, it is not difficult to
understand why Nepal is primarily a Hindu country. Not only is
it the oldest religion to be practised here, but it also
permeates every aspect of life for the people of the country.
Modern times have seen an increase in other religions in
Nepal, but the general population has chosen to remain with
the faith practised by their forefathers. |
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Music of Nepal
The music of Nepal is just as motley, ranging from folk
music to music associated with religious activities,
classical music and a collection of contemporary styles.
Songs and music videos from Nepal can be downloaded on
the Internet and are a great way to immerse yourself in
Nepali culture. The music of Nepal is an integral part
of this diverse country's culture. Nepalese music has
been largely influenced by musicians from Hindustan and
Tibet. Due to its close association with Indian culture,
Nepal too has various musician castes. Women only play
music in certain circumstances such as for |
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all-female
wedding parties. Damai are a caste who are tailors and
musicians. Damai are mostly involved in panchai baja, a type
of wedding band. Instruments used for such celebrations
include horns, shawms, cymbals and drums. The band has to
perform a particular tune or piece of music for each specific
section of the traditional wedding ceremony. On the other hand
you get the gaine who were fishermen at first but have become
traveling minstrels. The gaine will play musical performances
for audiences and are paid with food and/or other needed
goods. A sarangi is the instrument of choice for the gaine. It
is a handcrafted musical instrument with four strings. The
Newars are likely the best known musicians of Nepal who
perform folk and classical music along with dancing.
Practically all important events, feasts, ceremonies and
festivals are accompanied by the music and dancing of Nepal's
Newars. The masked dances of the Newar people tell intricate
stories about the gods as well as great heroes. Songs and
musical instruments are associated with particular aspects of
the Newars' life. Newar music features strong percussion with
added flutes or shawms along with powerful, nasal singing.
There are a large number of musical instruments in Nepal, 108
to be exact. Nepalese musical instruments are classified into
four groups, these are: Membranophones, idiophones,
chordophones and aerophones. All these instruments contribute
to the unique sounds of Nepal's music.
Languages in Nepal
Nepal is a country of great diversity with 36 ethnic groups,
several language groups and many religions. Nepal has many
ethnic groups and language groups are just as abundant. There
are more than a hundred languages spoken in Nepal. The chief
language of Nepal is Nepali, the other languages are spoken to
a larger or lesser degree in specific areas of the country.
Due to the extensive number of languages spoken in Nepal we
will provide details on just a few after which we will present
you with a list of Nepal's languages. Nepali is classified as
an Indo-Aryan Language and is spoken as a mother tongue by
approximately half of Nepal's population and as a second
language by others. Other names for Nepali include Gorkhali/Gurkhali
(“language of the Gurkhas”) as well as Parbatiya (“language of
the mountains”). Nepali was originally known as Khaskura
(“speech of the Khas”)an was spoken by rice farming Khas who
settled in the Karnali Bheri basin. Today it is spoken
throughout Nepal as well as in parts of Bhutan and India.
Bahing or Rumdali is classified as part of the Kiranti
languages and is spoken by the Bahing people living in
Okhaldhunga. This language has been described as complex and
slight differences between words are often difficult for
people of similar dialects to understand. Maithili is one of
the Indo-Aryan languages. Many view it as a dialect of Hindi
and not a separate language. It however received official
language status in 2003 and is thus used in education etc.
Limbu, a Tibeto-Burman language, spoken by the Limbu ethnic
group. Limbus call themselves Yakthung and the Limbu language
Yakthung Pan. Most Limbus can also speak Nepali fluently.
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