Ancestral Festival

(Sorry guys, no photos; since this was spurt of the moment, I didn't have my camera with me!)

Guess what: Today we got to play hooky! We went to teach at the school in the morning, as per usual, but this afternoon before we had a chance to go back for sixth and seventh periods, Tarak invited us along to take part of a Hindu festival. His father was performing a puja (blessings) for his grandfather. Within several days during this Hindu month, the patriarch of a family performs a ritual to honor and remember their ancestors, therefore gaining their good will. Tarak told me that if they didn’t make these offerings then their ancestors would be angry and wouldn’t “give us what we want.” There was a Brahmin (priest) there who was leading Tarak’s father through the steps: there was a lot of incense and one butter candle involved; rolling of rice balls; offering of fruits like apples, pomegranates, and cucumbers; drawing of symbols in ashes on the floor; and of course, an exchange of money. Everyone received a tika, and then there was a feast! We got to eat cucumber, roast potatoes, roast corn, pomegranate, a lemon-sorbet-ish-tasting-melon-like fruit, chapati (fried bread like tortilla chips, my personal favorite), and cooked pumpkin. After we had gorged ourselves on all of that, they brought out the daal bhaat! We didn’t know there would be more food, or we definitely wouldn’t have eaten so much. And, as an add-on, they weren’t expecting white people so we didn’t have utensils. Sarah, Sam and I have toyed with the idea of eating the Nepali way--with your hands--before, but we’d never been brave enough to try it. Well, today was our lucky day! It was messy, but I think I did an admirable job, considering I haven’t eaten with my hands since I was about four; plus, this is not like fried chicken, sandwiches, or French fries… this is rice with lentil soup poured over it and mushy vegetables… difficult to handle with your hands unless you’re an expert, I think. It was a very cool festival to be a part of though, and I’m glad we were welcomed into such a special day.