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ICH Materials 133
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Significance of the Month of Shrawan in NepalThe Nepali annual calendar is full of life and filled with celebrations and festivals enjoyed by communities from different castes, ethnicities, and religions. Shrawan (July/August), the fourth month of the Nepali calendar, reflects greenery in the environment and in the lifestyle of women.\n\nThe entire month of Shrawan is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the supreme deity in Hinduism. Devotees offer their prayers and seek blessings from Shiva for success, prosperity, and a better conjugal life. Shrawan is filled with religious celebrations.\n\nLegend\nIt is said that samundra manthan (the churning of the ocean) took place during Shrawan. Through that process, a number of valuable rubies emerged from the sea along with the halahal (a deadly poison with the potential to destroy the world). Lord Shiva came to the rescue by consuming the poison himself. It is believed that his neck turned blue due to the poison’s toxic effects, thus earning him the name Nilkantha (the one with a blue throat). The other gods came to help Lord Shiva using the water from the Ganges. He wore crescent moon over his head to reduce the effect of poison and maintains the temperature of his body. It is also believed that Lord Indra came to help by showering him with rain to reduce his body temperature. This is why water (particularly of the Ganges), leaves of the bel plant (bilva leaves), and milk are offered to Lord Shiva during Shrawan to earn good fortune.\n\nFasting and Bolbam\nShrawan is one of the most sacred months of the year in the Nepali calendar, and people devote themselves to religious activities. Although devotees visit temples regularly, it is believed that offering prayers on Mondays during Shrawan has special significance. People perform pilgrimages, also known as bolbam, barefoot and in orange attire to bring pure water from the holy river and offer it in temples to Lord Shiva. There are different practices of fasting. Some avoid grains, salt, oils, and spices on this particular day only, whereas others avoid meat, garlic, onion, and ginger for an entire month. Mostly Hindu women and girls continue fasting during this month. A married woman observes a fast for their husband’s healthy life while unmarried women do so in the hope of finding a better life partner.\n\nHenna and Bangles\nNepali women and girls are often seen wearing green and orange attire, hennas, and bangles to mark this month. Nepalese markets are filled with brightly colored accessories and apparel for the whole month. The green color signifies not only the cultural spirit but also the environment, which is verdant after the monsoon season. Married women can be seen wearing colorful glass bead necklaces, known as potay, a symbol of marriage in the Hindu culture. The potay is an important piece gifted by a groom to his bride during the wedding ceremony.\n\nPhoto 1 : A holy pilgrimage bolbam ⓒ Riwaj Rai\nPhoto 2 : Bangles and glass beads necklace potay ⓒ Smriti Rai\nPhoto 3 : Henna ⓒMamta AcharyaYear2019NationNepal
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Gohori: Craft of Making a Series of BasketsThe Tharu people, who predominantly cover the east to west region of southern Nepal, have always worshiped nature and natural resources. These have been a significant part of their livelihood, contributing to their culture, economy, and ecology. Tharu women have age-old basket-making and weaving practices with vegetation and raw materials available in the area. The majority of these women are engaged in continuing this craftsmanship. While the history of basketry is not well documented, it is believed to have started from a primeval age, being an integral part of the community’s sustainability. Since there is no direct evidence on how these baskets have originated, we rely on mythological tales. One story tells us that a woman named Jasu taught a man, Ishu, how to irrigate the land during the human civilization. She also taught basket making and other forms of crafts, which is how it has been able to be passed down through generations.\n\nThis intergenerational skill is a legacy continued through generations where girls learn to weave from their mothers and grandmothers, mostly for their trousseau. The craft of making a series of baskets is called a gohori. These colorfully designed baskets are used in special ceremonies and for storing and carrying grains and vegetables, clothes, and other valuables. The women take inspiration from nature and coil the baskets with different patterns, locally termed as panwa with the objects and shapes they observe, especially plants and animals. The most commonly used pattern is called gargijarwa thanhwan, which is a technique of coiling that resembles a millipede. This intricate weaving coupled with different patterns is considered an exclusive skill of women, and the baskets are coiled and decorated with shells, tassels, peacock feathers, and flower seeds.\n\nSome other baskets include a small coiled basket for keeping spices known as, nuiya, and pantopni, a colorful coiled designed lid basket for covering a water pot. Dhakiya, is coiled in different patterns reflecting the objects around and used for carrying pahur, gifts to relatives, are some of the significant woven series. Similarly, delwa is an important series coiled in different colors and decorated with shells and beads on its edge with strands of threads. This is used to carry the clothes of the groom and ornaments and other valuables of the bride. Bhauka is a big storage basket with a lid. It is used to store clothes and valuables and is hung above with a rope inside the room.\n\nBasketry has played an essential role in family life and marriage. Earlier, when the community practiced child marriage, a child bride was sent back to her natal home to practice basketry and spend time with the family. After she learned the necessary skills, she would come back to live with her in-laws. Once she carried the series of baskets and presented them to the family members, she would then be considered a qualified daughter-in-law. The skill may seem like a bridge for two families; however, it also strengthens Tharu women’s agency, love, and respect with mothers and mothers-in-law. Traditionally, mothers would feel secured for their skillful and qualified daughters if they took a series of baskets as their dowry. Therefore, basketry has become an essence for marriage ceremonies and has worked to bond and strengthen relationships between families. \n\nIntergenerational knowledge is central to transferring skills and information around the use and curation of plants and craftwork. Cultural transmission between the work and knowledge of the crafts is vital for maintaining a sense of community and identity. However, with very few young generations motivated in continuing this craft, the skill is dying out. Cheap plastics are replacing the functionalities of these indigenous baskets. Bhauka making is near extinction, and delwa struggles to be purchased from the very few existing weavers. The practice that was a medium of exchanging gifts and connected two families is now limited to stories. The basketry not only portrayed the beautiful skill of Tharu women but also depicted love for nature, passion for weaving, and sustained the relationship between nature and culture. Therefore, there is a great need for documenting this intangible heritage and recording the narratives for archives.\n\nPhoto 1 : Delwa© Maya Rai\nPhoto 2 : Traditional coiling tool chedana, raw materials moonj and kans and a wooden dwar to soak raw materials © Maya Rai\nPhoto 3 : Coiling traditional basket © Maya Rai\nPhoto 4 : A Tharu woman carrying </>delwa © Maya RaiYear2020NationNepal
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Ukuuku Tokari Kei Viti: Jewels of FijiIndigenous Fijians feel a close connection with the sea, land, and nature. In Fiji, jewelry making began way back in the time of the ancestors, dating back to the eighteenth century or even earlier. Traditional indigenous knowledge, beliefs, and practices were seen in the unique creation of hand-crafted jewelry and adornments. These pieces were mainly worn to display social status, functioning as symbols of rank and leadership, or as markers of clan membership.\nThere were distinctions in the types of jewels and adornments worn by a chief (turaga), a warrior (bati), the wedding attire of a bride (yalewa vou) and groom (tagane vou), and those used in ceremonies and celebrations where men, women, and youths adorned themselves with necklaces of shell (taube qanivivili), bead (taube), or clay (coko qwele). Chiefs and warriors mainly wore breastplates (civavonovono), whale ivory (tabua), sperm whale tooth necklaces (waseisei, also known as wasekaseka), boar tusk necklaces and hand bands (bati ni vuaka), while white cowry shells (buli vula) are mainly worn by brides and grooms, and also worn during a traditional dance/performance (meke).Year2022NationFiji
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A Study of Socio-Cultural Meanings of Pebaek Food in KoreaPebaek was one of the important ritual procedures of a traditional wedding ceremony. The ritual was performed at the groom’s house after the bride finished the wedding ceremony at her house. Pebaek was to introduce herself properly to her new in-laws and, her rst greetings were to the inlaw parents and relatives.Year2019NationSouth Korea
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TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE PRACTICE IN PENTECOST ISLANDLocated Northern Vanuatu, Pentecost Island is home to a unique traditional marriage practice, different from practices on other outer islands of Vanuatu. Traditional marriage practices begin between families of future spouses with food gifts offered from the groom’s family to the bride’s family. If a marriage agreement is reached between the two families, the groom’s father will return later with mats for the future bride. Future gifts are exchange between the two families to prepare for the wedding ceremony, signaling respect and a sense of community between the families.Year2015NationSouth Korea
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Kyrgyz Traditional Wedding Customs and RitualsAs in other societies, the family may be the smallest social unit but holds the highest priority in Kyrgyz culture, so the making of a family is very important in Kyrgyzstan. This is why in Kyrgyz society wedding ceremony is an important event. The Kyrgyz traditional wedding requires an understanding of soiko saluu, kyz uzatuu, kalym, sep beruu, and nikahh kyiuu among others.\n\nThe traditional Kyrgyz engagement ceremonies include the following. The kuda tushuu tradition is the compulsory visit of the groom’s family to the bride’s house where the bride receives a pair of golden earrings (soiko saluu) from the groom’s family for the official engagement. In addition, the groom’s family needs to pay kalym (bride price); it can be in the form of either money or livestock. Moreover, there is kiyit kiygizuu (a gift exchange) of mostly clothes, between the bride’s and groom’s family. These are all the of the Kyrgyz people.\n\nAfter, there is the kyz uzatuu tradition, a custom to say goodbye to the bride by holding a feast and preparing sep (dowry). Accordingly, the bride is taken to groom’s house through a special rite and respect. However, the practice of ala kachuu (bride kidnaping without the bride’s consent) is not part of Kyrgyz traditions. Traditionally, bride kidnapping meant an arranged marriage when a loving couple agreed to marry but the bride’s parents were against the marriage. In today’s Kyrgyz traditions, however, the understanding of bride kidnapping is very much distorted. Therefore, the practice is illegal, which leads to criminal liabilities. A legal and socially acceptable Kyrgyz traditional wedding incorporates rituals in which the bride and groom marry with respect and honor.\n\nOther wedding customs and rituals are performed in the groom’s house, where the official celebration takes place, such as welcoming the bride and displaying her dowry. The groom’s family present a white scarf to the bride as a symbol of blessing. The bride usually spends several days behind koshogo (curtain) while the visitors come and present different scarfs to see the new bride. Lastly, in the nike kiyuu tradition, a Muslim ceremony, the mullah reads a prayer and asks the couple of their consent to marry.\n\nNowadays, a mix of traditional and western styles of wedding is common in Kyrgyz society, incorporating decorated cars, visits in famous sites, and a feast in restaurants.\n\nPhoto : Kyrgyz Wedding Rites. Inspection by the Groom. Circa 1860s. by Aleksandr L. Kun, 1840-1888Year2019NationKyrgyzstan