As my belly grows larger, I am learning more about pregnancy and birth related traditions and customs in Nepal. Since the baby will be born here, and I am surrounded by Nepali ways of life, I have an opportunity to learn other ways of doing things and to try different cultural experiences. I will try to write about and share these experiences as the arise. Here's the first one.
Unlike the pre-birth "baby shower" tradition I grew up with in Canada, Nepali's don't like to give
baby gifts, particularly clothes, before the baby is born. Instead, it is a tradition in Nepal that when a woman reaches the last month of pregnancy, her family comes to her home and brings her special food and she feasts. The food often includes lots of sweets, and the special holiday "beaten rice" (which is exactly what it sounds like - a dish that I find hard, chewy, and a bit puzzling...)
Knowing that we have no family in Nepal to celebrate pregnancy with, a group of J's colleagues came to our house on Sunday and brought delectable Nepali dishes to feast on. Delicious!
Aside from the great company of the lovely ladies, who filled me in on all sorts of Nepali customs around babies & birth, there was: the rich and creamy butter paneer, mutton curry, roast chicken, chicken biryani, and a tasty masala salt salad. And for dessert was the famous khir, thick, rich, sweet yoghurt from Bhaktapur.
Now this is one tradition I could really get used to.... yum yum!
Unlike the pre-birth "baby shower" tradition I grew up with in Canada, Nepali's don't like to give baby gifts, particularly clothes, before the baby is born. Instead, it is a tradition in Nepal that when a woman reaches the last month of pregnancy, her family comes to her home and brings her special food and she feasts. The food often includes lots of sweets, and the special holiday "beaten rice" (which is exactly what it sounds like - a dish that I find hard, chewy, and a bit puzzling...)
Knowing that we have no family in Nepal to celebrate pregnancy with, a group of J's colleagues came to our house on Sunday and brought delectable Nepali dishes to feast on. Delicious!Aside from the great company of the lovely ladies, who filled me in on all sorts of Nepali customs around babies & birth, there was: the rich and creamy butter paneer, mutton curry, roast chicken, chicken biryani, and a tasty masala salt salad. And for dessert was the famous khir, thick, rich, sweet yoghurt from Bhaktapur.
Now this is one tradition I could really get used to.... yum yum!
No comments:
Post a Comment