Once we landed in Sydney from Vietnam, I was so happy that the wedding was over and it went better than I had hoped. We also had an amazing honeymoon and life was -good.
Once we settled back into the life in Sydney, AS and I decided that we needed to organise another reception in Sydney as we had discussed before, for all the friends and family who were here. As you know that I have been living in Sydney for so long that I have more friends here than in Nepal now so it seemed natural to have a nice reception here to celebrate our happiness.
Thus, the planning began. We wanted to keep it simple so we booked a restaurant instead of a party venue (no need to worry about setting up and easy decoration) and invited around 100 + to celebrate our happiness.
We ordered the cakes, balloon and decoration and decided on our music and food. It was not as hard as the one we had to organise in Kathmandu.
The morning of the reception, we were busy at first picking up the decoration and getting the venue ready. It was not hard as restaurant had done an excellent job with what they had and it was just touch up with banners, balloons and centrepieces.
Once the venue was all ready, I got ready with my hair and makeup. I was wearing one of my wedding saris and AS was wearing the daura surwal from the wedding too.
When we got there the place was ready for the party. The cake was at the centre and everything was ready to go. This time the cake was AS’s favourite mud cake with the printed centrepiece from our wedding in Nepal.
Slowly guests started to arrive and the entrée was served. The food was very tasty and everyone was having a great time.
After entrée, there were some speech and first dance for AS and I.
Then we cut the cake so the function continued.
We had a white board for guest to write a message for us and a photographer capturing the moment. It was fun to read what everyone wrote and it was a good memory.
We had main served followed by dessert and in the meantime, dance floor was rocking with guest having fun. By the end of the evening, almost everyone was on the dance floor and we had a great time with the guests.
By the time, the last guest had left it was close to midnight and we were tired as well.
It was great being the bride again and surrounded by loved ones who were happy for us and enjoying our happiness. We were glad everything went so well and finally our wedding celebration was officially over.
I have a big announcement to make on my next post , till then ,take care.
This is a ceremony where the newly wed bride is taken to the temple of the Kuladevata (family deity) where the bride is introduced to the god as a new member of the family and in front of the god, the groom puts Sindoor on the bride’s forehead and hair partition.
The very next morning after I came to AS’s house, we went for Wanjala. It was me, my MIL, AS’s aunts and AS. We drove to the temple and waited in the queue for the priest to be free.
Once he was available, we handed him all the things for the Puja along with Sindoor from the Swayamvar ceremony. He performed some rituals and prayers and then asked AS to put Sindoor on my forehead. My MIL held a red and gold cloth from behind and, AS put the Sindoor on my forehead. Then I had to touch AS’s feet to get his blessing.
Then we went around the temple to get the blessing from the gods. Once all the pujas were done, we sat down and ate the sagun we had brought from home. It is considered a good sign to eat around the temple.
More on wedding on next post, till then, take care.
Today is Goru Puja, Govardhan Puja, Mha Puja and Nepal Sambat.
Goru Puja
Nepal is mostly an agricultural country so oxen are considered important animals as they help in ploughing the fields. That is why on this day they are worshiped with tika, garland and offered nice food.
Govardhan Puja
Govardhan Puja is performed by making a hill called govardhan parbat using Cow dung. Cow dung has big importance in Hindu culture. In the olden days it was used for everything from light at night (Methane) to polish mud floors of traditional houses. Even now no Puja is complete without cow dung in Nepali Hindu culture.
It is believed that once there was a drought in a village in Vridavan. The villagers were very worried and they wanted to perform a big Puja in honour of Lord Indra, the God of rain. But Lord Krishna convinced them that, they should not pray to Lord Indra since it was the Mount Govardhan that brought the rain and not Lord Indra. This made Lord Indra very angry and in his wrath he sent forth a big thunderstorm to flood the village. Lord Krishan lifted the Mount Govardhan as an umbrella above the village to protect the villagers and their cattle from the rain and flood.
Mha Puja
In this day, after sunset Newar community perform Mha Puja.
“Mha” means body in the Newari language so on this day the Newa people worship their body and their inner self in the evening. They believe that the soul never dies and our body is only a vehicle and so we need to understand and respect our body as it is the chosen vehicle for this incarnation. This Puja is believed to bring prosperity and physical well-being.
Members of the family, first males followed by females, sit cross-legged in a row. The elder group of females plays the role of facilitators for each member. A mandap, decorated with different colours and various grains, fruits and flowers, is drawn for each member of the family.
In between the grains and fruits lies a mini mandap of oil, which represents the human soul. The human soul is placed between various grains and fruits so that a person will prosper throughout the year since each object represents a particular God and it is believed that each deity will bless the person. An oil lamp with velvet cloth wick equal in length to one’s own face is lit on top of the mandap facing all four cardinal directions so that a person will be renowned in all the places of this earth.
Apart from worshipping oneself, all the household entities like brooms, water pots, utensils and machines are also worshipped in the same way.
I performed Mha Puja with my brother and his family this year. This year my cousins are in Nepal so there were only 4 of us unlike 9 last year. For the Puja, first the floor was purified by sprinkling water on it then we made mandaps in front of a row of seats on the floor where we were sitting. Our mandap was designed by AS and I had printed them out on A4 paper but in Nepal they are made by hand on the floor using oil, rice flour, vermilion, puffed rice and sometimes beans.
The number of the mandaps needed is three plus the number of people doing the puja. We need three smaller mandaps at the top of the row for the Family Deity (Kuladevata), Yamaraj and Janmaraj, one mandap for each of the member performing Mha Puja. Then at the end of the row, we had a crow drawn symbolising Yama the God of death.
Normally the puja is done by the eldest member of the family but this year I did the process as my elder cousin is not in Sydney.
Process of doing Mha Puja (according to my knowledge):
First I gave Nasala, a few drops of water, in the palm of the right hand of everyone to sprinkle some into the mouth and rest over the body for purification.
I worshipped the Family Deity and Yama’s mandap with water, rice, flowers, and vermilion powder.
I gave water, rice, flowers, and vermilion powder to each individual to worship their own mandaps. The mandap is used as a medium to present the various offerings to the self.
Then I put tika on everyone’s forehead and gave them flower to put on their head.
Normally in Nepal, they use Itaa (hand woven long strands made using white cloth soaked in mustard oil) but here we used tea light candle instead. I gave each person the candle and everyone took the candle from my hand, lighted them and put them on their mandap. This light is believed to brighten the inner self and keep evil at bay.
I used rice and flower to shower each individual and worshipped the god within.
Then I gave every a plate with roti, sweets, fruits and masala.
Then,I gave Sagun to everyone. For Sagun, you put a plate of egg, bara (lentil cake), meat (chicken), a piece of garlicand fish in the right hand and yougurt in your left hand.
Once everyone finished eating the sagun, we used kucho (broom) to sweep the mandaps from top of the row to the bottom touching each mandap to conclude Mha puja.
Nepal Sambat
This day is also New Year’s day for Newar community and is called Nepal Sambat. Nepal Sambat is the national lunar calendar of Nepal. The era started on 20 October 879 AD and was in widespread use for all daily purposes until the beginning of the 20th century. It appeared on coins, stone and copper plate inscriptions, royal decrees, chronicles, Hindu and Buddhist manuscripts, legal documents and correspondence.
The customs of celebrating Nepal Sambat started from October 880 AD. According to a popular legend, there used to be a learned person in Bhaktapur who ordered porters to get sand from Lakhu Tirtha, a river in Kathmandu because he knew that it would turn into a heap of gold the next day. A person named Shankhadhar Sakhwaa came to know about it, and he enticed the porters to leave the sand in his place.
The next day, the sand turned into gold and with that gold he paid off the debt of all the people in the Kathmandu Valley. So from that day, people started celebrating it as their New Year to commemorate their happiness.
Even today, people are very enthusiastic to welcome the New Year. Every year, the day starts with a rally and the greeting of “Nhu Daya Bhintuna!” which means “Happy New Year”. Different programmes and functions are also organised in the Kathmandu Valley every year on this day.
The months of the year in Nepal Sambat are
Nepal Sambat month
Corresponding Gregorian month
Kachha lā
November
Thin lā
December
Pohe lā
January
Sil lā
February
Chil lā
March
Chau lā
April
Bachha lā
May
Tachha lā
June
Dil lā
July
Goon lā
August
Yen lā
September
Kau lā
October
It is Nepal Sambat 1133 this year. Nhu Daya Bhintuna everyone!!!
Also from this day, boys in groups go door to door singing special songs called Deusi similar to the Bhailo sung during Laxmi Puja. You can write just about any Deusi song as long as each line ends with the word `Deusi’ or `Deosuray’. A group of males get together, carry what-ever musical instruments they have or can play, and sing Deusi door to door blessing the home and family in return for money and/or refreshments. Teenagers perform various Deusi songs to collect money for their picnic.
It is considered auspicious to have these groups come to your front door. The house owner will offer them some rotis, fruits and money and they sing Deusi songs blessing the household with good fortune.
A Sample of Deusi Song. Includes a similar meaning in English
Bhana Mera Bhaiho Deusuray. (Say it my brothers, Say it. Deusuray)
Sormelai Kana Deusuray. (Say it louder and say it in tune. Deusuray)
Rato Batoo Deusuray. (Red mud trail. Deusuray)
Chiploa Batoo Desuray. (Slippery trail. Deusuray)
Laddai Paddai Deusuray. (Slipping and Sliding. Deusuray)
Akeya Hami Deusuray. (Finally we made it to your home! Deusuray)
…. …. Deusuray
…. …. Deusuray
…. …. Deusuray
Yo Garma Laxmi Deusuray. (In this home Lord Laxmi. Deusuray)
“Bhai” mean brother in Nepali. This festival is mainly for brothers and sisters.
It is believed that this tradition was started by Yama(the God of death) and his sister Yamuna because of their affection for each other.
In this day, sisters apply sacred Tika on their brother’s forehead and pray to Lord Yama for her brother’s long life and prosperity.
Yamaleswor temple
Some of the ethnic groups in Nepal use the Pancha Rangi Tika (Five coloured Tika) for Bhai Tika. First a base, rice flour is applied vertically on the forehead then yellow, green, red, blue and white colour Tika are put on top of this line in a row. But in the Newa culture, we just use rice, vermilion and yogurt, mix them and use that as a Tika.
For this occasion, I had invited my brothers and their families to my apartment and we did the Bhai Tika on my balcony.
This is how I did my Bhai Tika.
Mandap Puja
Before the Bhai Tika, just like in Mha Puja, the floor was purified by sprinkling water on it, then we made Mandaps in front of a row of seats on the floor where my brothers were sitting. I used a copy of the same Mandap which was designed by AS but this time I printed them in A3 paper. In Nepal the Mandaps are made by hand on the floor using oil, rice flour, vermilion, puffed rice and sometimes beans. The number of the Mandaps needed is three plus the number of people doing the Puja. So I had two big Mandaps, for my brothers. in a row and three smaller Mandaps at the top of the row for the House God (Kuladevata), Yamaraj and Janmaraj, and one crow drawn at the end of the row symbolising Lord Yama.
Beside the three Mandaps at one end, I also had a Sukundawith a candle on it.
Bhai Tika
Then I put all the sweets and Rotis that I had made or bought as well as some fruits around the Mandap along with the Masala and Sagun.
The Rotis I made at home this year were
Besana ko ladoo
Puri
Nimki
Lal Mohan
Strawberry cup cake
Chocolate cup cake
(I will post recipes in my next post)
I also bought Soan Papdi.
Then I had trays with fruits like mangoes, peaches, plums, rockmelons, oranges, apples and pears.
Masala and Tshirt
I made Masala at home this year with dry coconuts, dry dates, raisins, almonds, pistachio nuts, apricots, dry figs, cashews, cloves, cardamoms, beetle nuts, hard shelled walnuts, palm sugar cubes and lots of Chocolates. I used clear cello wrap and colourful bows to make it look beautiful.
For Sagun, I boiled the eggs, took the shell out and fried them in a pan. I made Bara (lentil cakes, for which I will share recipe later), fried some chicken, fish and cut fresh garlic.
Jajanka
I made Mala out of tinsel and bought Jajanka in a Nepali grocery store. Jajanka is made of many rounds of a white cotton thread forming a circle of about two feet in diameter and tied with a small piece of colourful cloth in order to have no ends. Jajanka symbolizes the integration of the beginning with the end. It is about creation, maintenance and fullness of life. Normally the Mala is supposed to be of Makhmaliful/Supadi ful (Globe Amaranth) as it never dries and always looks fresh.
I also bought T-shirts for both of them.
Bhai tika process
First I gave Nasala, a few drops of water, in the palm of the right hand of my brothers to throw some into the mouth and rest over the body for purification.
I worshipped the House-God and Yama’sMandap with water, rice, flowers, and vermilion powder.
I gave water, rice, flowers, and vermilion powder to my brothers first to worship the Mandap of the House God and then the crow, then to worship their own Mandaps. The Mandap is used as a medium to present the various offerings to the self.
Then I put Tika made of vermillion, rice and yogurt on my brothers forehead and gave them flowers to put on their head as a blessing form God. This was followed by Mala and Jajanka around their neck.
Putting TIka
Normally in Nepal, they use Ita (special long threads made using white cloth soaked in mustard oil) but here we used tea light candles instead. I gave both my brothers the candles. They took the candle from my hand, lit them and put them on their Mandap. This light is believed to brighten the inner self and keep evil at bay.
Then I took some water in an Ankhura (a small pitcher for Puja) filled with oil and water and Dubo in my hand and circled around my brothers three times.
Making circle with oil and water
Then I gave them some rice and flower in their hand. Then I gave trays of Rotis, fruits, Masala, sweets and clothes to them and they had to hold them and keep them from touching the ground. Then I toke some rice and flower in my hand and showered each of them and worshipped the god within them. Only after that could they put the trays down.
Then my brothers put Tika on my forehead, touched my feet for my blessings and gave me the gifts they had brought for me.
I gave them the Sagun . For Sagun, you put a plate of egg, Bara, meat and fish in the right hand and yogurt or alcohol in the left hand
Once everyone finished eating the Sagun, we used Kucho (broom) from top end of the row of Mandaps to the bottom of the row, touching each Mandpa to erase them and conclude our Bhai Tika.
The third day of Tihar is GoruPuja, Govardhan Puja, Mha Puja and Nepal Sambat.
Nepal is mostly an agricultural country so oxen are considered important animals as they help in ploughing the fields. That is why on this day they are worshiped with tika, garland and offered nice food.
Also this day small hillocks made out of cow dung is worshiped. It is believed that once there was a drought in a village in Vridavan. The villagers were very worried and they wanted to perform a big Puja in honour of Lord Indra, the God of rain. But Lord Krishnaconvinced them that, they should not pray to Lord Indra since it was the Mount Govardhan that brought the rain and not Lord Indra. This made Lord Indra very angry and in his wrath he sent forth a big thunderstorm to flood the village. Lord Krishan lifted the Mount Govardhan as an umbrella above the village to protect the villagers and their cattle from the rain and flood.
This is also the day Mha puja is performed by the Newapeople.
“Mha” means body in the Newa language so on this day the Newa people worship their inner self in the evening. They believe that the soul never dies and our body is only a vehicle and so we need to understand and respect our body as it is the chosen vehicle for this incarnation. This Puja is believed to bring prosperity and physical well-being.
I performed Mha Puja with my brother , his family and with my cousins on my brother’s balcony. First the floor was purified by sprinkling water on it, then we made mandaps in front of a row of seats on the floor where we were sitting. Our mandap was designed by AS and I had printed them out in A4 paper but in Nepal they are made by hand on the floor using oil, rice flour, vermilion, puffed rice and sometimes beans. The number of the mandaps needed is three plus the number of people doing the puja. We need three smaller mandaps at the top of the row for the House God (Kuladevata) , Yamaraj and Janmaraj, one mandap for each of the member performing Mha Puja. Then at the end of the row, we had a crow drawn symbolising Yamathe God of death.
Normally the puja is done by the eldest member of the family but this year I did the process as my elder cousin is not in Sydney.
Process of doing Mha Puja:
First I gave Nasala, a few drops of water, in the palm of the right hand of everyone to throw some into the mouth and rest over the body for purification.
I worshipped the House-God and Yama’smandap with water, rice, flowers, and vermilion powder.
I gave water, rice, flowers, and vermilion powder to each individual to worship their own mandaps. The mandap is used as a medium to present the various offerings to the self.
Then I put tika on everyone’s forehead and gave them flower to put on their head.
Normally in Nepal, they use Ita (special long threads made using white cloth soaked in mustard oil) but here we used tea light candle instead. I gave each person the candle and everyone took the candle from my hand, lighted them and put them on their mandap. This light is believed to brighten the inner self and keeps evil at bay.
I used rice and flower in my hand to shower each individual and worshipped the god within.
I gave Sagun to everyone. For Sagun , you put plate of egg , bara (lentil cake), meat,piece if ginger and fish in the right hand and yougurt in your left hand.
Once everyone finished eating the sagun, we used kucho (broom) from top to bottom touching each mandap to conclude Mha puja.
This day is also New years day for Newar community which is called Nepal Sambat . It is Nepal Sambat 1132 this year. Happy New Year!!!
Also from this day, boys in groups go door to door singing special songs called Deusi similar to the Bhailo sung during Laxmi Puja. It is considered auspicious to have these groups come to your front door. The house owner will offer them some rotis, fruits and money and they sing Deusi songs blessing the household with good fortune.
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