The Shechen Monastery in Kathmandu

Located by a silent and peaceful lane behind the famous Boudhanath stupa, the Shechen monastery is a sharp contrast to the crowded and noisy tourist spot. Surrounded by a beautiful garden, the premise contains a large monk’s dormitory, an art and handicraft workshop and showroom, a guesthouse and an exquisite garden restaurant. Here, both monks and visitors can rest and enjoy a meal among trees and flowers, hearing nothing but the singing of birds and the sounding temple bell. After a nice and relaxing meal, we made our way by the colorful array of stupas, dedicated to the Buddha’s main events. Passing the monastery, we heard the sounds of reciting monks and of horns and gongs. Asking the nearby attendant, we were allowed to enter the hall to listen to the ceremony. We sat down, surrounded by monks in red and yellow robes, and drums and large silver and bronze horns on both sides. Between each recital of the sutra verses, horns and drums intoned with their powerful sounds. I felt the sound vibrating through my whole body! It was a great privilege to witness such a traditional religious service from the ancient Tibetan culture, kept alive by the refugees here in Kathmandu. I am sharing with you some of my impressions in words, pictures and sounds here.
Svein

A Nepali Wedding

A traditional Nepali wedding is a long term event. Like in India, a lot of organizing is required for the bride’s family.
As friend of the bride’s elder brother, I have been invited to attend some of the most important ceremonies, like the exchanging of rings, the visit of the bride in the bridegroom’s home, and finally, the great wedding party! As members of the Newari caste in Kathmandu, they follow their old traditions in costumes, wedding music, food and rituals, led by two Hindu priests. Among the more than two hundred guests were relatives and friends on both sides, all dressed in saris and dhaura survaal (the man’s traditional costume). At the parade to the bride’s home, some were also dressed in colorful costumes. I missed this occasion, but I have been witnessing some similar parades in the streets of Katmandu Darbar – the ancient city square.
The food served on this occasion is of course according to old traditions: Curries with dried goat meat and with smoked buffalo meat – pretty hot and a hard test for your stomach! Most peculiar is the dry rice flakes that are served instead of boiled rice. The local rice wine, rakshi, is very popular on all traditional celebrations.
The festive music that welcomed us to the large, beautifully decorated tent was the Panchaibaja – old ensemble music, played on trumpets and long, curved horns, various drums and cymbals. The curved horns reminded me of the bronze horns from the Nordic Stone Age! Enjoy the pictures and the music!
Svein

A national Sarangi competition

The first ever national folk music competition in Nepal, organized by Nepal Music Centre, took place at the NMC on Friday the 4th of December. Prior to this event, regional qualifying tests had been carried out in Pokhara, Dhang, Dankuta and in Kathmandu. At the final, 12 musicians – 3 from each district - gave the best of their performances in singing and playing their sarangis. Among the judges were renowned sarangi musicians, as well as teachers at the Nepal Music Centre, including the Norwegian teacher, Svein Westad. (Cut from one of the newspaper articles!) Some of the performers had composed their own songs, about the importance of keeping up the soon vanishing sarangi tradition of Nepal. The winner, Govinda Gayak from Pokhara, sang a religious story of the Hindu god Krishna, belonging to the important and highly treasured Hindu songs. The event was covered by several nationwide newspapers, like The Himalayan and the Kathmandu post.
Svein