Actor Buddhi Tamang desperately used to wait for Dashain and the activities like wearing new clothes, eating plenty of meat and many more.
“Dashain used to be very joyous back then,” says Tamang.
But, why? Here, we have collected some interesting Dashain stories from him.
The ritual of rice
It was only during Dashain that Buddhi Tamang would get a chance to wear new clothes. He still feels good, recalling the smell of new clothes.
Likewise, the kitchen of his house used to be full of delicious food. It was only during Dashain that rice was cooked in his kitchen as it would serve him dhindo other times. Hence, in Dashain, they would feel special to have rice.
The rice would taste extremely good, recalls Buddhi Tamang.
These days, chiura (beaten rice) is not much entertained in snacks and lunch. But back then, beaten rice used to be very special. Meat and beaten rice used to be everyone’s favourite dish.
The linge ping sadness
Buddhi Tamang is a native of Temal rural municipality in Kavre. There, the vibes of Dashain used to be very different. Before Ghatasthapana, the first day of Dashain, everyone used to prepare themselves for building linge pings (traditional swings made of bamboo and jute rope).
There was only one thing that used to make Tamang unhappy during Dashain. As his height is short, he was not given a chance to play the swing. He loved playing on the swing, but due to his height, nobody would allow him to do so.
“I used to be sad,” says Tamang. “Looking at my unhappy face, sometimes, the seniors used to allow me to play the swing.”
The other thing that used to keep Buddhi Tamang tense during Dashain was homework assigned by the school. Tamang never wanted the homework to ruin his Dashain, that was why immediately after getting the homework, he used to complete it as soon as possible. Tamang says he cannot define the happiness he would feel when he used to complete the homework.
Tamang used to wear tika only in his house and mamaghar (maternal uncle’s house). His mamaghar was near his house and he was the only nephew of his maternal uncle. He used to collect Rs 100 as dakshina from the house and mamaghar.
With that collected money, he used to buy chocolates. “It feels very funny to recall those days,” says Tamang.
The love for chiura
During Phulpati, the Tamang community people go through a busy schedule because they have to offer a puja, following their own rituals. A rooster is sacrificed to the goddess. On Asthami, a party is held by sacrificing buffalo. On Nawami, Bhimsen Puja is conducted. That day, everybody from the family gathered in one place. After sacrificing hens, there used to be parties at night time.
“At the party, I used to eat a lot of chiura,” says Buddhi Tamang. “I also used to carry the leftover chiura in my pocket and eat them while going to school.”
This story was translated from the original Nepali version and edited for clarity and length.
