National traditions of Nepal. Habits, mentality and the way of living

Many aspects of Nepal can amaze foreign guests. For example, just like in neighbor India, the cow is a holy animal in the country. Everyone must treat this animal with respect. Naturally, there is no such dish as beef meat in Nepal. The country has its own calendar that starts its calculation in 57 BC. This means that when it is 2020 in Europe or America, it is the year 2077 in Nepal. An interesting fact about this country – Nepal has never been a colony. No one has ever conquered it starting from the moment when the Gorkha king Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the Kathmandu valley in 1768. This date is considered the foundation of Nepal in its current borders.

Nepal is mostly a rural country. Only 14% of the country’s population lives in cities, and everyone else lives in the countryside. Kathmandu is the biggest city in the country. Polygamy is not a new practice, and there are many countries where polygamy is official. However, in Nepal, not only polygamy but also polyandry (a woman with several husbands) is allowed in certain regions of the country. Many foreign guests find this unusual. Nepal is also famous as a place where the yeti or the abominable snowman lives. There is even a scalp of this creature in one of the monasteries in Khumjung.

Nepal is a small mountain country that is located in the Himalayas between India and China. 40% of the country’s territory is located at a height of more than 3,000 meters. This is the location of 8 out of 14 mountains higher than 8,000 meters. The highest mountain the world – Everest (8,848 meters, also known as Sagarmatha and Chomolungma) – is located at the border between Nepal and China. The road to the basic camp of Everest starts from the nearest airport – Lukla. This airport’s landing strip is 547 meters long and is recognized as the most dangerous in the world because it is built on a small plot of land between the mountain and a sheer drop. The plateau and the airport are at a height of 2,845 meters. Pilots do not have a second chance because it is impossible to make a circle and try to land again. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Nepal has an unusual flag – two red triangles merged and underlined with a blue border. The triangles are placed one above another and have one side (vertical) attached to the flagstaff. The two triangles symbolize the two main religions of the country – Hinduism and Buddhism – as well as the Himalayas that occupy almost half of the country’s territory. Inside the triangles, there are symbols of power and long life. There is also moon in the middle of the top triangle and sun in the middle of the bottom triangle. The red color symbolizes life and the blue border is a symbol of eternity. As a rule, countries have rectangular national flags, and this makes Nepal’s flag unique. This is the only flag with sharp edges.

Nepal is a country of monkeys. Tourists often think like this when they visit local temples. When tourists concentrate on attractions, they become easy targets for monkeys that can quickly steal items that visitors are holding in their hands. A tourist holding a banana in her or his hands can lose it in seconds. Monkeys are everywhere in Nepal. There are no limitations for these animals, and so monkeys climb wherever they want. Tourists need to keep in mind that these swift animals can steal items in seconds and disappear immediately.

The Nepalese almost have no glazing in their windows. They usually have rails instead. It is cold to live in such houses in winter. There is no central heating, and electricity is too expensive for the majority of the population. That is why people mostly use thick blankets to warm up. Moreover, the current electricity supply is not enough for the country, so even Kathmandu has electricity on certain hours only. People usually warm water in the sun. To make this process faster, they use black water reservoirs and take a shower in the middle of the day when the temperature is higher. Middle-class Nepalese install sun batteries but their power is still not enough to make water hot.

Nepal is not a big country. The length of the country’s border from north to south is only 241 kilometers. That being said, the country has 5 different climatic zones, just like a continent. The zones range from tropical to arctic ones. Summer is hot in the south – the average July temperature is +36°C. In the middle altitude, the average temperature in July is +28°C, +13°C at the foot of Annapurna, and only +2.5°C on Mount Everest. Such diversity is connected with different altitudes. The Terai is a lowland region only 250 meters above sea level. This southern region has a tropical climate. The Inner Terai Valleys of Nepal is the lowest point in the country. The Kathmandu Valley (1,300 meters above sea level) has a moderate climate. Higher, in the Himalayas, arctic and subarctic climates are predominant. Starting from 4,500 above sea level, you enter a kingdom of eternal snow. The temperature is always below zero here.

The Nepalese are kind, friendly, and curious people. They treat elders with great respect. It is hard to see them express their emotions because this is not common. Hugging and kissing other people in public places is also prohibited. Local people often walk barefoot but they never show the bottoms of their feet because this is considered vulgar. Sadhu, ascetic people in colorful clothes who worship Shiva, have nothing against tourists who take pictures of them for a small fee. Nepalese women traditionally have quite a low social status. They are not allowed to get an education, and they cannot take senior positions. Local people do not bury the deceased. They cremate them and throw their ash in the river.