~Puja Ceremony & Festival Month has Begun~

Yesterday Digumber and Munni (Digumber's wife) offered puja at their hotel, Gaun Gahr (where I am staying during my time in Nepal). The ceremony was held in the room at the top of the hotel and it was quite elaborate. I did not know what to expect and I felt a little strange attending the ceremony because I needed to meet the girls at 10:00 a.m. to visit their homes.

This would make me have to leave the ceremony early and I did not want to disrupt the service by leaving early, but Digumber and Munni both explained that it would not be a problem... so I attended for a short time. It was fascinating~ I really admire Digumber and Munni for their dedication to their cultural and religious customs. I had a wonderful day and enjoyed receiving a blessing from two of the Brahman priests before they left~ I have received blessings from a variety of faiths and feel honored. Digumber and Munni fed many of those in the village who were needy and many people came by to offer their well wishes and join in the festivities.

In celebration of the puja we planted a new bouganvilla in front of the hotel and everyone joined in. It was very fun and special.



Pūjā (Devanagari: पूजा) (alternative transliteration Pooja, Sanskrit: reverence, honour, adoration, or worship) is a religious ritual performed by Hindus as an offering to various deities or distinguished guests. It is done on a variety of occasions and settings, from daily puja done in the home, to temple ceremonies and large festivals, or to begin a new venture.[1] Puja is modeled on the idea of giving a gift or offering to a deity or important person and receiving their blessing. The two main areas where puja is performed is in the home and at public temples. There are many variations in scale, offering, and ceremony.

Festival time has started in Nepal now~ especially among the Newari people. Each night the men in the village get together and play drums and cymbals for hours as they play and chant they move throughout the village and it's almost hypnotic to watch and listen. Girls are not allowed to join in...so the girls just clap their hands on the side of the street and watch!! (You know I wanted to play the drum!!!!) :)

I was so lucky because Munni dressed me in a sari last night! I was a bit shy at first because I have never worn a sari before, but all of the Nepalese people loved it so much that I couldn't help but feel happy they were so enthralled with me. Munni is a very elegant lady and has all the "right" jewelry and clothes so she made me look so nice! I felt like I was playing dress up and we even ate dinner in "our fancy clothes"...it was so fun! I will always remember that day!