Nepal is situated between the Himalayas, and this is much more than magnificent mountains. It is a colourful multinational mosaic, a state where a plethora of ethnic communities, languages and cultures interact with each other forming one of the most interesting social environments in the world. The rich geographical diversity of the nation with the subtropical lowland Terai to the high-altitude Himalayas, has traditionally encouraged the formation of discrete, insular societies with their unique cultural identity. This ensures that Nepal is a living museum of the human diversity.
A Multitude of Ethnic Groups
There are more than 125 ethnic groups and castes that are officially recognized in Nepal. The population can be widely divided into a few broadly defined groups, which are mainly determined by the geographical areas, which they long habitually inhabited.
The population in the southern plains and inner valleys is comprised of a large population consisting of the Indo-Nepalese communities that relocated to India centuries ago. These are the Bahun (Brahmin) and Chhetri (Kshatriya) communities who were traditionally priests and administrators/military respectively. Their cultural tradition and Hindu religion have been leading in the formation of the national social set-up.
Many of the Tibeto-Burmans rather community live in the hilly and mountain areas. They are the Gurung and Magar, who are famous in the world as the valiant Gurkha soldiers, and the Tamang, Rai, and Limbu. It is perhaps most well-known that high-altitude dwellers are the Sherpas of the SoluKhumbu region which has become renowned because of the guiding the summits and unmatched skills in climbing high altitude.
Kathmandu valley is the cultural and historical epicenter, where the Newars are found. Popular as great artisans, architects as well as merchants, the Newars have constructed the iconic pagoda temples, palaces and elaborate wood carvings in the valley. Their advanced civilisation is confined to ancient cities such as Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur, and they have outrageous annual ritualistic system, festivals with elaborate ritual, masks and music.
The Madhesi communities of the southern part of the Terai have close linguistic and cultural connections with the adjacent northern India. Other major communities such as the Tharu have resided in the malarial jungles of the Terai over centuries and have therefore gained an element of immunity as well as understanding the forest ecosystem.
A Linguistic Kaleidoscope
This multiethnicity is reflected in the linguistic situation in Nepal. Although the government, schools and inter-ethnic communication mostly use the Nepali language as lingua franca or official national language, it is only the point of an iceberg. This constitution identifies 123 languages still in existence.
The Nepali language is an Indo-Aryan one, which is written in Devanagari scripts. But rambling in the hills and valleys of Nepal, one may be able to hear Sino-Tibetan tonal languages of the Tamang, Gurung or Magar, or the original Newari language (or Nepal Bhasa) that have a rich literary tradition and scripts of their own.
Another theme of the national fabric is religion. Nepal is a secular country by constitution, yet a huge majority follow Hinduism and are significantly shaping the culture and life. Many of the communities of Tibet-Burma and in the mountainous north are powerful in Buddhism especially Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. Syncretism between religions has been a peaceful event that has taken place between the two religions in the form of common temples and festivals. Smaller groups are practicing Islam, Christianity, Kiratism and other local religions.
Culture and Daily Life
This diversity is manifested in an amazing plethora of festivals, music, dance, and clothing. The significant national Hindu holidays are Dashain and Tihar, although the Buddha Jayanti, Losar (Tibetan New Year), and the Newari festival of Indra Jatra are attended by large crowds. Conservative clothing is highly diverse, as men may put on the daura-suruwal and topi (cap), and women sport the colourful sari or kurta, and ethnic communities even possess their specific type of clothes such as the chuba of the Sherpa or the haku patasi of the Newar.
Essentially, the Nepal people have created a society in which the idea of unity is not necessarily uniformity. The ideas of unity in diversity do not merely represent a motto but is a living reality, and thus Nepal is an incredible enriching destination that ancient customs are still well alive even in the new world.
