Cultural Notes

Caste, Hierarchy and Respect

• Nepali has four commonly used words for “you”—hazur, tapaai, timi, and ta, in descending order of status.
• Nepalis greet each other by bringing their open palms together and saying Namaste, which translates literally to “I see the divine within you.” The greeting is initiated by the junior individual the first time he/she seems someone in a given day. They then often ask “have you eaten your snack/meal?” or, if the person is traveling, “are you going far?”
• Nepali children will become embarrassed if you are overly respectful or polite towards them.
• You can usually tell someone’s caste by his/her last name or physical appearance.
• Individuals from higher castes may not eat food prepared by someone of a low caste—they might not even permit a low-caste individual to enter their house.
• Nepalis will offer and accept money and other things of value with their right hand, placing their left hand on the elbow of the extended right arm.

Time

• Nepalis have a 6-day work week.
• Most Nepalis follow the lunar calendar, which has 12 months that do not coincide with the Roman calendar months.
• The Nepali year is 56-57 years ahead of the Roman year, depending on the time of year. For example, it is currently the year 2070.
• Nepalis have a very loose definition of “on time.”

Birth, Marriage, and Death

• Nepalis are given a name by a priest based on the astronomy at the time of their birth. Sometime later, their parents give them their real name.
• Many Nepalis value sons over daughters: only a son can light their parents’ funeral pyres, and females may be viewed as temporary family members, often moving into their in-laws house after marrying.
• In some castes, women must have their nose pierced, and men their ears pierced, before marrying.
• In death, the body is oriented with the feet facing south; as a result, Nepalis never sleep in this orientation.
• Most Nepalis are cremated when they die. Sati, the Hindu practice where a widow was expected to throw herself onto her husband’s funeral pyre, has been outlawed, but women may still be expected to do all their own cooking and cleaning for a year after their husband’s death.
• When a man dies, his sons (though sometimes just the eldest son) shave their heads and wear only white for an entire year. They are forbidden from offering pujaa or receiving tikaa during this time.

Friendship

• Public displays of affection are frowned upon, and even simple physical contact between male and female can be interpreted as romantically intended.
• Male friends often hold hands while walking and may occasionally sleep in the same bed platonically.
• Though rare nowadays, in the past two Nepalis of the same sex could undergo a formal ceremony that would eternally bond them to each other, becoming mit (for males) or mitani (for female). Mit or mitani cannot speak each other’s names and essentially share all things, including each other’s children (though not wives).

Cleanliness

• In some castes, when a girl is menstruating she is considered unclean. She may not be allowed to cook food or eat with the family. In a few regions, she may even be confined to a separate building (something like a dark shed) for the duration of her period.
• Since feet are considered dirty, pointing the soles of your feet at someone is seen as an insult, as is asking someone to hand you your shoes. It is considered rude to step over another person, their food, or their valuables (including bags and notebooks). Placing one’s head to another’s feet is a very humbling sign of respect.
• Some Nepalis hire someone to handwash their clothes, but they’ll never ask someone to wash their underwear or socks.

Superstitions

• It is considered a good sign if one leaves the house while a family member is returning with water.
• Some believe that pointing at the fruit on a tree will cause it to spoil. Likewise, saying that a baby is healthy is thought to be bad luck for that child’s health.
• Nepalis believe that ghosts must be expelled from their homes twice a year. A man walks from house to house, blowing a human heelbone like a horn, performs this ritual in the middle of the night.

Food

• Nepalis eat using only their right hand. Eating with your left hand, touching anything other than food with your right hand during a meal, eating off another’s plate, and sharing a cup, bottle, or silverware are considered jutho (impure) by most Nepalis.
• Cows are considered sacred; to kill one is punishable with jail time.
• Certain castes do not consume buffalo, garlic, onion, basil, hot pepper, or alcohol, as these things are said either to raise or dull one’s inner spirit.
• Burping and spitting are not considered rude by most Nepalis.
• Being told that you are fat is a compliment.

Miscellaneous

• Some Nepalis (especially in rural areas) don’t understand jogging as a sport, thinking it only reasonable to run if something is chasing you.