Gurungs Life cycle Rituals

The Gurungs of Nepal are eastern people who migrated to the lower Himalayas many centuries ago. The first Gurung village in the south of the Himalayas is called Khol, the ruins of which are high in the forest of northern Larjung. They are the main Gurkha tribe. The main settlements of the Gurungs are Kaski, Lamjung, Mustang, Manang, Gorkha, Parbat and Syangja districts. However, at present, they are living abroad in various districts of Nepal. They celebrate their festivals and ceremonies and perform rituals and practices related to worship, birth, death and marriage in accordance with Bonn and Buddhism.Normally, major festivals are celebrated by the village or the neighboring villages together, whereas smaller rites and rituals are carried out at the village or household levels.

 1. Life cycle Rituals

(i) Birth

Gurung consults astrologers when the baby is born and three days later, a naming ceremony is held. Chaiti is held on the sixth day. It should be noted that a married daughter is not allowed to be provided at her parents' house, as the disease that enters the placenta at birth is considered inauspicious. If this happens, the child is buried at the back of the house on the advice of a priest or astrologer. A great banquet has been organized and the night passed in singing and fun.

(ii) Navran

Nine days after birth, seven days after the birth of a male and a female child, and after those days the new mother is purified. The liquid thus cleansed is called Gauntha or "Mahar Q" in the Tamu language. It is sacred water and contains gold, ghee, honey, milk or yogurt and water, which is basically cow's urine. It is spread on a woman's body and is held on this day. This purification brings the woman back into the social circle as well as welcoming the newborn. Whose name is announced in this novel. In the case of a male child, his earlobes are pierced and if there is a female, then his airlobes and nose are pierced. This is followed by a grand feast involving a variety of foods and liqueurs (home cooked and imported).

(iii) Weaning Ceremony (Rice feeding) 

At the Weaning Ceremony (Rice feeding) or in Tamu language "Ken Kobama" the child is given his first grain. It is also called Bhat Khuwai or Pasni. This weaning ceremony takes place five months after birth for female children and six months after males. The astrologer is consulted before this ceremony, so as to have an auspicious time and date. A variety of foods are prepared on the scheduled date and perhaps some meat is added. The baby is fed by the first virgin girl as a symbol of good omen. Everyone puts a white tick on the child's forehead, cooks and feeds him a little, and presents him with some money or clothes (most of the money is presented). Children are only allowed to wear shoes and new clothes after eating this rice. And banquets for relatives, neighbors, and guests.

(iv) Putpute ceremony and chheawar

This ceremony is held only for the eldest male child and it means that the child is brought up in a very loving and good environment. Putput or mungo is known as it is held at the age of 2 years and is held by mother uncle. The main theme of this ceremony is to worship their patron deity (Kul Devata). The boy is blessed with gifts from the guests. There is a lot of singing and dancing and the inevitable feast of food and wine ends.

Whether it is at the age of five, seven, nine or eleven, the Gurung boy should go to the rite called Chhewar or "Kra Preba" in the Tamu language, which began with hair. The boy's hair should be cut by his uncle or if there is no one, then another person should be made his mother's brother and this task should be done by the uncle. A Pandi, a Gurung astrologer is consulted for auspicious days. The ceremony cannot take place at one month and age. The boy is taken to a shepherd and some part of his hair is cut off by his uncle (mother's brother). After the ceremony, the child is taken inside and vaccinated by parents and relatives. For three days after shaving, the child is not allowed to go out of the house, after which, leaving a drop of hair, the rest of the hair is cut. After this ceremony, the child can participate in all religious and social activities. The organization of a Chhawar ceremony indicates that the boy has become a socially, culturally and legally responsible person. He can now take on all the social and cultural responsibilities that his community demands.

(v) Gunyo-choli

It has only one shawl for a boy, a girl is given a 'gunyo' and a 'choli' and when she reaches the age of 12 she is also called "Niya Bimba" in Tamu (Lohokor in Tamu). The ganyo-choli represents a woman's dress and represents the age of a young Gurung girl. The community recognizes that she is now an adult and able to take on social and cultural responsibilities. On this occasion, she was told the story of her life cycle, as well as her duties and responsibilities towards family and society. Tamu is called Haya Kai, which means songs of life or hymns of life. This song is an illustration of various natural and environmental aspects of nature and nutrition. A banquet has been organized in the village at the end of the ceremony and a warm greeting to all of them.

(vii) Marriage

A Gurung marriage is an ethnic marriage; He should marry outside his caste but within his caste. There are two types of marriages between Gurungs. Organized marriage and marriage through marital relationship. Arranged marriage is done through a formal agreement between the future two families and in the second case, the couple runs against their parents. A traditional marriage is a cross-marriage marriage, where a son marries his mother's brother's cousin's daughter (marriage) or a son marries his father's sister's cousin's daughter (patriarch). A mediator plays the role of contacting the father of the future bride and her siblings or their own representatives. After receiving initial approval for the game from the bride's side and finding the couple's horoscopic suit, the groom's representative approaches the bride, gives her a 'poong' gift of wine, and if it is accepted by the bride's side, it is formally reassured and the marriage is complete. Gurung's marriage is considered as a contract between a man and a woman, not as a 'Dan' or 'Kanyadan' prevalent in Hinduism, where a daughter is considered an 'outsider' from her birth. Wealth burdens someone else's property or family. This is not the case in Gurungs where a daughter occupies an important place in her mother's house and later in her husband's.

 

Gurung's marriage has no religious significance. The ceremony is very simple. It marks the beginning of a legal marriage for a man and a woman. At the bride's house, it puts a white vaccine (rice mixed with yogurt) on the forehead for the happy life of the future couple and parents and relatives. They will then wash their daughter's feet and take a drop of water by which their lips are used. Usually, the newlyweds are paid by their parents and relatives. A similar ceremony is held at the bridegroom's house. Wedding party is required at the wedding party. Allopment forgets the above formalities in marriage and instead of parental arrangement, the boy directly tells the girl of his intentions and if the girl agrees, both are hidden. The message is sent to the girl's parents. Within a few days, he sends his representative (and he can go on his own) to the girl's father for an argument with him and asks him to accept the new relationship by having a bad relationship with her and to cancel the other arrangement he has made. . If the bride's father agrees, the new son-in-law comes with a compensation gift and a ceremony is held to accept the married couple. Wedding ceremonies usually take place between mid-October and early April. Although no rules forbid them to take place outside this period.

(viii) Dead Rituals (Pe or Arghun)

For the Gurungs, the deceased is a serious matter and the funeral is of paramount importance in the eyes of the Gurungs. The death memorial rite is a three-day post mortuary rite in the name of the deceased. Gurung's death ceremony is more elaborate than that of other ethnic tribes. The rites of death of the Gurungs are very long and complex and are performed in two stages - the cremation or burial of the body or soul which also signifies the end. The body cremation of mourning is called Roho-Waba and the soul cremation is called "Pe or Arghun". The Gurung priests of Pachu, Gavre and Bon Lama perform for three days and nights. It can start on the day of cremation or a few days, months, years or even years later. There is no specified time. The concept of completing the drink within a day is a Tibetan influence. To set an auspicious date and time, one should consult a Gurung astrologer, Pandi. Pay is a highly religious ceremony presided over by Gurung traditional priests and where animal sacrifices are performed. During Peko, the soul of the deceased is taken to the land of the dead. Recently, some Gurungs have been against animal sacrifice, influenced by the teachings of the Tibetan Lama, which forbids any kind of animal sacrifice. Gurung's death requires the presence of his close relatives and they are clan members (Tamai), family members (Nehru Mai), maternal members (Ashonmai) and daughter-in-law and daughter (Moho-Chame Mai). Many relatives of the deceased who live in other villages also come to participate.

All gurus usually wear yellow and colored threads, around their necks, called silver or tamu. It has nine strans and nine knots for men and seven strans and seven knots for nine and seven souls (plaha). It is importantly used to stop evil spirits, religious purification processes, and to thwart any common misfortune of the original thread wearer.