User:Aj Kersting/Culture of Nepal

Culture of Nepal

Food:

Farmers make up most of Nepal's population, who grow a large variety of vegetables and grains such as potatoes, sugarcane, and pulse, more focus on rice, wheat and corn. The Nepalis also raise livestock like goats, sheep, cattle, and buffalo to produce milk, cheese, and meat. Dal Bahaat is a very common meal for the Nepalis. It is made with a lentil soup, rice and either a meat or vegetable curry. Another very common dish is called Monos, which is dumplings with some sort of meat. Nepalis eat meals only at lunch and dinner however, they do eat little things in between these big meals. Nepalis are very sensitive about eating food. Once you touch food, it is considered dirty so it is very rude to mess with someone else's food. You also can only eat with your right hand because people use their left hand for wiping themselves after using the restroom.

Religion:

There are many religions that are practiced in Nepal but Hindu is the most common at around 80% and Buddhism the second most common at around 9%. Because Hinduism and Buddhism are so similar, Nepal was the first country to declare its national religion to be Hinduism. Buddhists and Hindus of Nepal have been reported worshiping in each other's temples. Both of these religions forbid the killing of any living thing, especially cows in Hinduism, since they represent a nurturing spirit, also known as a mother figure.

Languages in Nepal:

The main language of Nepal is Nepali but, there are over 100 other languages native to Nepal. Nepal is one of the most linguistically versed countries in the world, making it a great place of study for linguistic studies. Before Nepali was declared the primary language, almost all separate town or village spoke its own language. Although Nepali is the "main" language of Nepal only 44.6% of the total population speaks it, the second most common language is called Maithili with 11.57% of the population speaking it. The remaining 43.83% is divided up between 100 other languages, 10 of which are more common than the rest these being: Bhojpuri, Abadhi, Newari, Gurung, Tamang, Tharu, Limbu, Magar, Hindu and Urdu. There are also a good percentage of non-Nepalese languages spoken in Nepal, 14 to be exact. There are different classifications within Nepalese languages they fall in the categories of: Sino-Tibetan/ Tibeto-Burman, Indo-European, Dravidian and Austro-Asiatic.

Clothing in Nepal:

The clothing in Nepal has changed in more larger regions throughout time, adopting a more western look. But in more rural regions clothing has remained relatively the same throughout the centuries. Nepalese clothing changes from different geographical regions, near Kathmandu in more climate zones clothing is thinner and more revealing, when in higher elevations such as in the cold mountains clothing is very thick and the people wear many layers. The average clothing for men in Nepal consists of a long tunic or vest over loosely fitted pants. Each bit of the clothing has religious significance, the men then usually wear a small hat called a Topi to finish off the outfit. The women usually wear a dress made up of a shawl and a Guniu. The Guniu consists of a cotton or silk fabric and is worn from the waste down while a shawl like garment is worn on the upper body. Then there is the Sherpa which is worn by both men and women, it consists of a robe for the upper body made of yak wool, as well as yak wool pants. This outfit is usually worn with boots made of yak hide stuffed with dried grass, but more modernly it is worn with cowboy boots and hats as a fashion style.

Common courtesies in Nepalese culture:

The Nepalese have a very wide variety of etiquette's and courtesies. Some are considered very important and if broken a person can seem very rude and will be unliked. Some of these etiquette's and customs include: taking off your shoes when entering a home or temple, it is illegal to take pictures inside of a temple, Elder and parents are called by their titles not their names same with brothers and sisters, calling someone fat is considered a compliment it is a sign of wealth, Nepalese people always share meals even when its just a small snack, it's rude to say "I don't know" instead tell them how to find the question out, for example if someone asked where a place is instead of saying "I don't know" say "go look at a map", etc... These etiquette's and courtesies are mostly derived from Hindu and Buddhist practices, and have evolved over time do to all of the different ethnic groups within Nepal.

Caste and status within Nepal:

Nepal uses the Hindu Caste system, the caste system divides Hindus into four main categories: Shudras, Vaishyas, Kshatriyas and the Brahmins (these are in order from least to greatest). Based on a person's lineage, they are born into a class and that can determine what kind of jobs a person can get. Brahmins or upper class, have the more prestigious jobs such as working in the government. In the caste system it is almost impossible to move up in society, the social ladder is seen as non-existent. One way to be able to change your social status is by marrying someone in a different caste than you.