I sit on my bed this deliciously quiet morning, trying to catch up on correspondence. The normal buzz of activity in the street below my window is interrupted with an explosive bang that sends me flying. I grin at my own racing heart. It's just a firecracker. Or firework. Or some other random act of noisy celebration.
It is Tihar in Kathmandu.
Last night as I rode home across the city, I wondered at the twinkle of lights, hung like streamers down the faces of otherwise dismal buildings. I pretended for a fleeting moment that I was in an American city in the final days of December. It could almost be Christmas in Atlanta! Only not.
Tihar is a five day festival in Nepal. Each day is reserved for a different object of worship. Today my neighbors worship cow, the mother of the universe. They will honor her with flowers and tika and perform pujas with her excrement that seem disgusting to my western mind, but holy and purifying to them.
Yesterday belonged to the dog. My language teacher explained the the worship of dogs with great patience. It all seemed natural and obvious to him. Dog is a protector and friend, the guard of both the physical world and the underworld. Lowly and dishonored he may be, but yesterday the mangy, crippled street dog was worshiped as a god.
Tihar follows closely on the festival of Dashain, another Hindu holy season. Dashain is the fifteen day celebration of a legendary victory of good over evil, in which the goddess Durga slew the mighty demon Mahisasur, who ravaged the earth disguised as a water buffalo. The eighth day of Dashain flows with the blood of thousands of goats and other animals, raised, purchased and slaughtered in sacrifice to Durga. It is a dark day for Christians in Nepal. Many believers are persecuted by their families and friends on this day, because they cannot possibly take part in the deep pujas that are the basis of the beloved celebration.
For devout Buddhists, the eighth day of Dashain presented an opportunity to rack up the good karma. Tradition says that a compassionate benefactor may rescue a beast doomed to service or sacrifice. During Dashain, saviors sometimes arrest the hand of the executioner, offering to pay a good price for his victim. This is very good karma for the hero. When the purchase is complete, the animal is decorated with brightly colored ribbons and tassels and set free. The signs hang permanently from the ears and horns, proclaiming to all the sacredness of their wearer. No master may ever take this beast captive, no burden may ever be imposed on him, no hand may ever harm him. He is eternally free.
What a picture.
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| A redeemed Blue Sheep, photo courtesy of Marianne Broqueville |
L.
