My decision to stay in Hetauda for this holiday (Friday to Sunday) was justified. As I stood on my roof on Friday I could see coloured lights in every direction. Last year was good, but it seems that this year everyone has joined in the celebrations with fairy lights and / or candles, fireworks (mostly ones that sound like machine guns or bombs, but also some rockets and Roman candles and plenty of sparklers)and plenty of traditional singers. The nursery next door did everything - the 'We wish you a merry Christmas' playing lights, fireworks every night and then the singing and dancing on the lawn. My house was lit up, including flashing lights on my balcony, and when I came in on Friday evening from a walk in the bazaar, there were even candles on my steps and later on the steps up to the roof, though the candles out on the roof wouldn't stay alight. It looks as though Hetauda is going to be very prosperous next year if Laxmi, the goddess of wealth visited every house with lights on!
The festival was almost spoilt by another day of unseasonal weather. It wasn't very bright on Friday morning, then about 11am thunder started rumbling round the hills and by 1.30 the wind was blowing leaves off the trees and there was a short hailstorm followed by 90 minutes of very heavy rain.The electricity was on and off until after 7pm. As most of the roads in Hetauda have been 'under the digger' this summer, walking up to the bazaar in semi-darkness was a muddy affair, but it was worth it.
In the market
Laxmi puja evening
On Saturday afternoon I went round to Urmila's only to find I'd been asked to help make sel roti.
As I left she invited me to go for daal bhaat the next morning. After I came back,Sanu arrived with a plateful of Bhai Tika food (for Sunday) - sel roti, ladoo (rice sweet), sweet cake, fruit.
She had only just left when the Hetauda RP, Drubha, rang - he'd promised to invite me to his house over Tihar, but I was more than honoured when he invited me for Bhai Tika, a family celebration between brothers and sisters. I wasn't going to need to cook on Sunday (or for a few days!)
This morning Urmila gave me fish with my daal bhaat (I still don't cope well with the bones), but as I told her I was going to Drubha's afterwards, it was a manageable amount. I made my way south out of Hetauda by tempo, having been told to get off at the interestingly named 'FM Road' (there is a big sign which announces national FM radio). Drubhasir was waiting and took me to a lovely house in a small rural community five minutes from the main road. Here I met his wife,younger brother and his two children, younger sister, two daughters, son, two granddaughters and five year old grandson. All these people have a special name in Nepali depending on whose child they are (brother's, sister's, older, younger etc).It's something I've never come to terms with - I'd rather learn people's names.
The ceremony took two hours. I finally came home about 3.30 after another daal bhaat. Tempos are few and far between today, it's the one day when people really do take a holiday and I thought a walk would have done me good after all the food. I brought with me a big bag of foodstuff (a gift from my 'sister') and I have a very colourful tika on my forehead and a mala of everlasting flowers to hang in my room. I also have a series of photos which make sense of the whole day.
I thought it would be a solemn occasion, but this family at least, had a lot of fun and were happy to include a foreigner as their 'sister' for the day (I got my tika along with Drubha's wife, so I was clearly 'related' to him).
And by the way - happy 1128 (Nepali Sambhat) - it's the new year we celebrated with Purna last year - where has the time gone?
