Wednesday 11 September 2013

Teej - celebrations for women


Namaste

In Nepal September 9th is Teej - a special festival for women to celebrate and be purified. Many women dress up in gorgeous red and gold saris, put on their best gold jewellery and make themselves beautiful with hair ornaments and make up.



Some henna their hands with intricate patterns, which must take hours to complete. Many also fast, eating or drinking nothing during the day.



They then parade through the streets, often in family groups where you can see grandmother, mother, sisters and daughters, proud in their best red clothes.


The streets around the temple of Pashupatinath and Durbar Square, in the centre of Kathmandu, are thronged with crowds, all out to enjoy the colourful spectacle and take in the atmosphere.

           As we walked through the crowds, people smiled, waved and talked to us. Many women and children were keen to have their photos taken.  It felt very good to be part of their celebrations.

Tata


3 comments:

  1. Your camera is really working well. It looks a great celebration. Is Lamjung culturally hindu, budhist, sharmanist or mixed?

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  2. Not sure about that yet. I'll let you know when I get there. As it's towards the north, it may be predominantly Buddhist. I have language training daily, until November when I go there, to ensure I can make myself understood in an area where most do not speak any English. This is going to be a challenge!

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  3. Looks wonderful! Interestingly Mon 9th September was also TVH3's red dress run though the hash were not as elegant as these ladies in Kathmandu.

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