Monday - day before a big holiday
Trip Start
Aug 19, 2007
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15
71
Trip End
Nov 20, 2007
Biratnagar,
Nepal
Monday, September 3, 2007
Ring....ring....ring.... the woman next door is ringing her little bell. This is something she does everyday, several times a day. I've been told that she is honoring a sacred plant by having a lit candle next to it, ringing her bell and saying a short prayer. It's all a part of the many religious acts that go on daily here.
I arrived at school today to the sound of singing and music. All the students and teachers were in the front area and students were onstage dancing. They were performing a celebration of Tuesday's holiday for Lord Buddha's birthday. The younger children were all dressed for the occasion. The boys are dressed like Lord Buddha and the girls like his girlfriend Krishna. They danced while a teacher and/or the rest of the student body sang. Other traditional dance took place by students also.
Afterwards they played a traditional game similar to smashing a pinata'. A student is blindfolded and handed a stick to smash a claypot in the center of the circle.
Tomorrow is Lord Buddha's birthday so there will be no school and probably no entry so I should have lots of photos to share on Wednesday.
Happy Birthday Lord Buddha!!!
Comments
Caught Up
Hi Mark Finally got a chance to visit your blog...WOW!...I read everything (like a good book you can't put down)and the pictures...INCREDIBLE! I felt like I was there...the colors, tastes, smells and overall sense of being. I'm appreciating how it is changing your thinking. Unfortunately, I'm still stuck in the US mode of living (what code should I charge this time to?)...Love, Di
girlfriend?
Wow, even the Lord Buddha has a girlfriend. A Rod Stewart song comes to mind. I don't remember a chick named Krishna in the traditional version of the story.......she's not a laborer is she?!