With the improvement of people's living standards, more and more Chinese choose to travel abroad when they are on vacation. In addition to some Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand, Vietnam, and now Nepal, it will also be targeted by some tourists. People love to go to Nepal because it is not only known as the "country of mountains" but also has beautiful scenery and different customs.
Although Nepal's name sounds strange, it is still familiar and widely known in China. The birthplace of Buddhism is also in Nepal, and Buddhism has a certain influence in China and the world. In recent years, the relationship between Nepal and China has also been very friendly, and economic exchanges are inseparable from tourism.
But every place has its own customs, and Nepal's customs are a bit incredible, and visitors to the local area may find that locals bathe naked in the streets, and men and women alike.
Nepalis bathe in the streets
Although Nepalis bathe in the streets, they are not as naked as one might think. Men will bathe their upper body naked, and women will bathe wrapped in a layer of sari without excessive privacy disclosure. In addition, locals already see bathing on the street as a very common thing, so tourists don't have to fuss. If there are tourists who are curious about how the locals have a bathing mode, they don't have to worry when they stand and watch, the locals will only care about bathing themselves. Because in their opinion, washing naked on the street is not a shame, water purifies everything dirty, very pure.
Nepal is a country with very scarce water resources. Many people have neither the opportunity nor the ability to take a comfortable bath with pure water resources. Most of their water needs are used for national agricultural irrigation and other economic development. Therefore, in terms of bathing, they can only solve the problem of body cleansing with the most primitive and simple methods. Seeing this reason, you can see why they choose to bathe in the open.
If Chinese tourists come here, they will also warmly invite Chinese tourists to take a bath together, which is their special treat and also expresses their sincerity. Therefore, it is not particularly embarrassing to see people bathing on the street locally. We should learn to follow the customs, this is a very normal thing to happen, we should learn from the local perception, Nepalis have their own way of life, which is different from China. They also wash their clothes by the river, a phenomenon that is also seen in some rural areas of China, but it is becoming less and less.
In the process of traveling in Nepal, we should first understand the local customs and habits, do not always make a fuss, otherwise you may bring trouble to yourself and make Nepalese feel that they are not respected. As a tourist, you should remember to follow the customs and travel in a civilized way in order to better understand the culture of Nepal.
A deeper understanding of Nepalese culture will show understanding and relief for their behavior
After diving into Nepal's local culture and customs, it is clear that the common bathing behavior common among locals in the river has different meanings. For Nepalis, water is a holy source of cleansing of the body and mind. Bathing with water from the river can make a person's soul cleaner. Nepal will also host many bath-related festivals. When these festivals come to the streets of Nepal, Nepalese women in skirts can be seen laughing together and washing their bodies and heads with water. In the minds of Nepalese locals, such behavior is not immoral, only foreign tourists make a fuss.
3. In addition to this custom, what other customs are there in the local area?
1. Cremation
On the banks of the Bagmati River in Kathmandu, Nepal, there are many Pashupatine temples, which are customarily called the Temple of Burning Corpses.
Hindus in Nepal continue to use the custom of cremation after death, and mortuaries are cremation places where the dead are wrapped in yellow napkins or white cloth and placed on stone altars made of wooden blocks by the river. The sons of the deceased need to shave off their hair and beards, carry oil lamps around their parents' bodies for three weeks, and clean the faces of the deceased with holy water from the river, symbolizing the baptism of mercy, and then sprinkle rice and flowers into their mouths. After the body is cremated, the ashes should be scattered into the river and then into the holy river to reach the land of bliss.
2. Marriage
There are still several different forms of marriage in Nepal. Envelope Hindus still practice monogamy and have corresponding weddings. Polygamy is still preserved in the northwestern mountains from ancient times, which means that a husband marries all of his wife's sisters when he marries, and polygamy means that a woman marries several brothers at the same time.
Conclusion: The customs of each place are different can not judge the country by this, if we want to travel to a place, it must first understand the local customs and culture, so that we can go to a place to play, and do not worry about stepping on the local taboo, if there are friends who want to travel to Nepal, you can understand in advance.