Skip to main content

The Birthday Thing

I’m not going to lie; I was a big fan of birthdays. I loved them, especially my own. I loved that I got to cut a big birthday cake, got presents and that this was my day and I get to celebrate me. But there comes a time in your life when you’re just not that excited about birthdays anymore. You get more excited about birthdays of family members or your best friends, perhaps. But not much on your own. Maybe it has to do that birthdays remind of you getting older or maybe not.

So years ago, I lost most of my excitement for my birthday. I also realized another thing. My birthday is not about me, at all. Why am I the one being celebrated when I didn’t do anything worth being celebrated? Why don’t I celebrate it giving something to my mother since she is the one who brought me in this world on this very day; since she is the one who went through all the pain and the labor; isn’t she the one who should be celebrated and not me?

There is this Newari tradition on birthdays: taking saga or shagun from your elders. We take their blessings and in return we give them something. So that could be a start. Why don’t we start a birthday thing? Instead of celebrating you, celebrate your mother, celebrate your parents and all that they’ve done for you. Give them something in return. Give them a present. Give them time.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rajamati

I think we’ve all heard the song of Rajamati growing up. It is so popular that many people in Nepal claim this is the only Newari song that they have heard. The song was written some 200 years back. The first few lines go like this, which I’m sure you must have heard of, unless you’ve been living under a rock: Rājamati kumati, jike wasā pirati Hāya bābā Rājamati-chā Rājamati mabila dhāsā Kāshi wane tela bubā Hayā biu Rājamati-chā. San dhāsā kuli kuli, mikhā dhāsā bālā bālā Sakumi yā mhyāy machā lā Khwā dhāsā tuyu khwā, khwālay niga tee du Tāhā Nani yā Rājamati-chā. It is said to be written by or rather from the perspective of a man who was infatuated and in awe of the beauty of Rajamati. He describes with great admiration: her hair, her eyes, her complexion and the little moles on her face. However it is unknown who the writer of this beautiful song is. The song rushed into popularity after it was played in England in 1850 when Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana vi...
5 comments
Read more

Best Places for Breakfast in Kathmandu

The only reason I love sleep, more than the reason that, well, it’s sleep, is that it’s like time travelling to breakfast.  Yeah, no kidding. Breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Whoever named that meal breakfast, was straightforward. I don’t know who named lunch and dinner, but the breakfast guy? He cut in straight to the point, didn’t he? Because breakfast is literally breaking your 8-10 hours fast. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper, they say. So, you don’t really want to compromise on breakfast now, do you? Now, this is no backlashing, but in many restaurants around town, the most breakfast things they have on the menu are omelet and toast. Yeah, I was disappointed too. There’s this restaurant in Mangal Bazar, where my best friend and I met up early morning. We decided to have breakfast. The restaurant overlooks the courtyard so it’s a beautiful place to talk over a cup of coffee or tea. She and I ordered a cheese ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Oldest Kumari

Dhana Kumari Bajracharya resides amidst the hustle and bustle in Gabahal, Patan. She is a 70 year old woman, who you would think is much younger at age, if you look at her. Age seems to have done justice to this beautiful woman. What makes this wise old woman different than other wise old women in Patan? She is the oldest Kumari of Patan. Kumari, the living goddess is a tradition or a practice that has been around for many years and that has been celebrated widely in the Kathmandu Valley. The very first Kumari goes back to 17 th Century. The process to choose the Kumari is divine and a girl must go through several tests to get chosen as the Kumari. Dhana Kumari Bajracharya is the longest serving Kumari of Patan having been established as the Kumari from 2010 B.S to 2042 B.S. A whooping 32 years. Perhaps her case is the most rare that we might come across. A girl serves as a Kumari until she reaches puberty, or she has her first menstruation. After that, it is believed that th...
1 comment
Read more