NEWAR CULTURE- A UNITY IN DIVERSITY

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.