...all in on happy holiday weekend. Shivaratri translates into "Shivas night" and took place of the last day of the Nepali winter which this year was last friday. 300,000+ people, mainly teachers and holy men, (gurus and Sadhus) and followers of God Shiva gathered then in the holy temple of Pashupati. Last wednesday it started raining and didn't finish for a day and a half and my Newari family laughed and said that this often happends when all these holy men come from all over Nepal and India for this very special holiday.
The location of Pashupathi looks, to an outsider and heathen like myself(who is not Hindu)very similar to Varanasi. Burning ghats by the holy river. Men and women waiting to die by the holy water, blessed by priests and Shiva himself with consorts. Old folks homes that you can rent while in waiting.
Lhosar I thought would be easy to describe as simply the Tibetan New Year. In is celebrated in the Tibetan community in exile and often among western buddhists. Now of course it turn out there are three (!) Lhosars. Today the 14/2, possibly named Gyalko Lhosar as it is mainly described as a religious celebrated. Soman Lhosar on the other hand is, again according to my sources a 'farmers festival', whatever that means and then there is Tamu Lhosar observed by the Gurung people roughly around out Wester new year.
To make it even more confusing, it is not exactely a Tibetan new year, but a holiday also celebrated by ethnic groups or people identifying themselves as Sherpas, Gurungs and Tamangs.
And then there is Valentines. Have a good one and go out and tell somebody you love them!
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