{"id":12834,"date":"2017-10-26T15:08:06","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T09:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dorjegurung.com\/blog\/?p=12834"},"modified":"2026-03-13T22:04:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T22:04:12","slug":"dassain-traffic-goats-sheep-chickens-and-a-trek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dorjegurung.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/dassain-traffic-goats-sheep-chickens-and-a-trek\/","title":{"rendered":"Dassain: Traffic, Goats, Sheep, Chickens and a Trek"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Jhanda Burja (Flag Crown).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you are a member of the majority in a country, it’s only natural to think, believe and act in the way the majority do because they constitute “the mainstream.”<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the US, that means being white and middle class. That is also the case in Europe and the rest of the Western world. In the Gulf, it’s being a Muslim and everything else that entails, though of course there are differences between the countries in the area based on geography among others. In India, it’s being a Hindu, while in Pakistan and Bangladesh it’s being a Muslim. In Mexico and the Philippines it’s being Catholic, among other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A majority of the population of Nepal are Hindus and therefore the culture and traditions of (hill so-called high caste) Hindus constitute “the mainstream.”
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What’s more, during those decades I was growing up in Nepal, an absolute Hindu monarch, i.e. a dictator, who suppressed<\/a> non-Khas-arya<\/em><\/a> peoples, cultures, and languages, ruled the country. So, in the seventies and eighties, most in the country naturally assumed that everyone followed and celebrated Hindu festivals, for example. Furthermore, also naturally, the non-Hindus felt compelled to show that they actually did belong to the mainstream and were patriotic citizens, 100% behind and fully supportive of the King and his cronys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children from non-Hindu families, like my friends and I from Tangbe, Mustang, therefore grew up with their families “embracing” some of the mainstream culture, attitudes and practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One such practice was “celebrating” (the recently concluded) Dassain<\/a><\/em> and Tihar<\/a><\/em> (also known as Dipawali\/Diwali<\/em>, the Festival of Lights), the two most important Hindu festivals and — because of that — the national festivals of the country.
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One reason, obviously, again, was to show that they and their children supported the King and the country’s ruling elite. Another was probably to avoid being recognized and discriminated as (low-caste) Bhote<\/em><\/a>. Yet another was probably to make sure that their children, my generation, didn’t feel left out and didn’t get mocked and picked on by our peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another reason still my parents’ generation also “celebrated” the festivals was probably to ensure that their children would grow up competent in — and with a sense of belonging to — the mainstream culture of the country and the wider society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, there were times when my family had Tika<\/em> on Dassain<\/em> as well as carrying out Bhai Tika<\/em> (Brother’s Day) during Tihar<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were even times when we, the children, received gifts of money and a new set of clothes and went out gambling with the neighborhood children, betting money on the traditional street-side game of Jhanda Burja (<\/em>Flag Crown).<\/em> (See image at the top.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After leaving Nepal (in 1988<\/a>), the value of those celebrations dropped steadily.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My generation of Tangbetanis (ethnic Tibetans from the village of Tangbe, Mustang), even those living in Nepal, learned and realised why our parents had done what they had done, when they had done them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, everything would come full circle in the nineties.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After everything our parents’ generation had done to help us reject and deny our heritage, and having contributed to it<\/a> as a student growing up in the country, as an adult, feeling the uselessness of continuing any of that charade, I would come to embrace and assert<\/a> my non-Khas-arya<\/em> cultural, linguistic and ethnic heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dassain and Tihar was another of the many casualties<\/a> of the decision: I stopped celebrating them!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I have done instead during the Holidays is travel! Last year’s Dassain road-trip saw me braving the out-of-control traffic and horrendous roads and highways<\/a> West and South-West of Kathmandu while enjoying visits to interesting and beautiful places<\/a> along the way. Tihar took me to Pokhara, the most beautiful city<\/a> on the planet, and to Maya Universe Academy<\/a>, a school in Tanahu, founded and run by a fellow Nepali UWCer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This past Dassain, earlier this month, I did a short trek with my cousins wondering if my still-recovering left-foot<\/a> would hold out! It did and I had a great time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Holiday, which began with a drive to Pokhara, had a rough start though.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though just 200 km West, it took us more than 9 hours in the car! Involving two stops totalling about 3 hours (one for tea and another for lunch), door-to-door the journey lasted 12 hours!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what partly kept us on the highway one of the two times we were stuck in traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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