Tie-Dye

Yesterday evening I went to dinner with a Newari family. And I was wrong before, the Newars are not only musicians or artists, they are the artisans of the entire Kathmandu valley.

The night before that, Wednesday night, after my laundry debacle I decided to walk into Thamel to just buy a skirt I could wear to work. Bd and Janish called while I was shopping and insisted on coming to take me back to Janish's house for dinner.

I didn't realize at the time that this "dinner" was part of the Newari ritual in which they reaffirm themselves to Buddha (Newars were the original inhabitors of the Kathmandu valley. They are an ethnic group that I can't tell the difference, but apparently to other Nepalese they are as "different" as one of our racial groups. Anyways, so this Newar family practices a mix of both Buddhism and Hinduism in this predominantly Hindu country)

So, I sat down and immediately the head of the family and his wife came over with tikka (red rice-based mix that Hindus wear on their foreheads), and the Buddhist prayer scarves and flower bouquets - I forgot the Newar names for these. So, the pics look funny with the prayer scarves, and that damn tie-dye t-shirt I was wearing -because I thought I was heading back to the hotel after shopping- and tikka. Cute.






Mom specifically said, "Please tell me you are not going to work the first day wearing jeans and that tie-dye t-shirt." I guess religious ceremonies qualify as not tie-dye appropriate also.