Dr. CL Pradhan, Dentam
(First published in PAU, Newa Journal, Gangtok, 2024)
Culture defines people’s
values, beliefs, and personal interests. Culture is important because it allows
people to maintain a unique identity in society. Newars are famous for their
unique lifestyle and have rituals and customs which have to be followed from
Birth till Death. They have their way of celebrating festivals, performing
marriage ceremonies, and funerals. One of the old and still alive cultures is
our unique way of celebrating the marriage ritual during childhood in a girl
child is Ehee (Bel-Bibaha).
Newars are a linguistic
and cultural community of Indo Aryan and Tibeto-Burman ethnicities following
Hindu and Buddhist religions. Newars are known for their contributions to art,
sculpture, architecture, culture, literature, music industry, trade, agriculture,
and cuisine, and left their mark on the art of Central Asia. The Newar Society
was traditionally divided into occupational castes. The Newar Culture is marked
by frequent religious festivals throughout the year, centred around processions
and ritual dances. The Newar Community is made up of social groups associated
with hereditary professions that provide ritual and economic services.
Merchants, craftsmen, artists, potters, weavers, dyers, and farmers are all the
societal groups that played a vital role in creating and flourishing an
economic system. Newars are known as jewellery makers and shopkeepers since the
Durga Malla period. The Newars were divided into hierarchical clan groups of
occupational caste, readily identified by surnames. Food is an important part
of the ritual and religious life of Newars, and the dishes served during
festivals and feasts have symbolic significance, eg, Samay Baji,
Yomari, Kwati, Haku Choila, etc.
Different sets of ritual
dishes are placed in a circle around the staple rice flakes to represent and
honour different sets of deities depending on the festival or life–cycle
ceremony Kachila, Chhoyla, Pukala , Wo, Paunkwa, Swan puka, Syen, Mye,
Sapu Mhicha, and Sanya khuna. Desserts consist of Dhau,
Sisabusa, and Mari. Thwon (rice beer)
and Ayla (local alcohol) are common alcoholic liquors that
Newars make at home. At meals, festivals, and gatherings, Newars sit on long
mats in rows; the sitting arrangement is hierarchical, with the eldest sitting
at the top and the youngest at the end.
Newar religious culture
is rich in ceremony and is marked by frequent festivals throughout the year.
There are street celebrations like pageants, Jatras, or processions that are
paraded in the street, including sacred masked dances. Newar festivals are marked
by family feasts and worship, which are held according to the lunar calendar.
Newars celebrate New Year's Day of Nepal Sambat by doing Mha Puja. Some of the
important Newar festivals are Yenya (Indra Jatra), Sa
Paru (Gai Jatra), Pahan Charhe, Jana Baha Dyah
Jatra, Bunga Dyah Jatra, Biska Jatra, Sithi Nakha.
Newar traditional costumes consist of trousers (Suruwa) and long shirts (Tappalan) for men, blouses (Misalan) and Saris (Parsi) for women, and Haku Patasi for girls. Ritual dresses consist of pleated gowns, coats, and a variety of headdresses. Newars are bound together by a common language called Nepal Bhasa, which is of Tibet-Tibetan-Burman origin but has been heavily influenced by Indo- Aryan languages like Sanskrit, Pali, Bengali, and Maithili. Newari culture is characterized by unique rituals and customs observed from birth to death. Festivals, marriage ceremonies, and funerals are all celebrated in a distinctive Newari manner, showcasing their rich cultural heritage- a unity in diversity.
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