Nepal tourist information

Nepali culture is influenced by the cultures of Tibet, which borders to the north, and India, which borders to the south. There are similarities in clothing, language and food. A typical Nepali meal is dal-bhat, boiled lentils served with rice and vegetables, and some spicy relish. This is consumed twice daily, once in the morning and again after sunset. Between these main meals, snacks such as chiura (beaten rice) and tea are consumed. Meat, eggs, and fish are also eaten, particularly in the mountainous regions, where the diet tends to be richer in protein. Millet-based alcoholic drinks are popular, including chhaang and the distilled rakshi.

Folklore is an integral part of Nepali society. Traditional stories are rooted in the reality of day-to-day life—tales of love, affection, battles, and demons and ghosts; they reflect and explain local lifestyles, cultures and belief systems. Many Nepali folktales are enacted in dance and music. The Newar people are well known for masked dance that tell stories of the gods and heroes. Music is percussion-based, sometimes with flutes or shawm accompanying the intense, nasal vocal lines. Musical styles are a variety of pop, religious and folk music, among other styles. Musical genres from Tibet and India have had a strong influence on traditional Nepali music. Women, even of the musician castes, are less likely than men to play music, except in specific situations such as traditional all-female wedding parties.

The sarangi, a four-stringed, hand-carved instrument is usually played by wandering minstrels. Since the sixties, Nepali rock or rock music, sung to Nepali lyrics, has become popular among youth. Also catching on fast is Nepali rap and reggae, derived from African American artists and genres, which has blossomed with the advent of the music video industry. Football is the most popular sport, followed by cricket and kabaddi. The Martyrs Memorial Football League is the national football championship.

There four television services viz. Nepal Television - the national television channel, NTV 2 Metro - a metro channel owned by the government and two private channels - Kantipur Television and Image Channel. Also many other networks, particularly those that originate in India, are available with the installation of increasingly popular satellite dishes. Lack of electrification makes this difficult. Radio is listened to throughout the kingdom; as of 2000, there were 12 radio stations.

The Nepali year begins in mid-April and is divided into 12 months. Saturday is the official weekly day of rest. Main holidays include the National Day (birthday of the late king Tribhuvan) December 28, Prithvi Jayanti, (January 11), and Martyr's Day (February 18) and a mix of Hindu and Buddhist festivals such as Dashai in autumn, and Tihar late autumn. Most marriages are arranged, and divorce is rare. Polygamy is banned by law; relatively isolated tribes in the north, such as the Dolpo, practise polyandry. Nepal has a rich tradition of ceremonies, such as nwaran (the christening of a child), and the Pasni, the day a child is first fed rice, and bratabandha (the penance ceremony) and gupha for prepubescent boys and girls, respectively. In bel bibaha, preadolescent girls are "married" to the bel fruit tree, ensuring that the girl becomes and remains fertile.

Most houses in rural Nepal are made up of a tight bamboo framework with mud and cow-dung walls. These dwellings remain cool in summers and retain warmth in winters. Dwellings at higher altitudes are mostly timber-based. The urban areas are filled with concrete structures up to 8 stories tall.

Nepalese cuisine refers to the cuisines of Nepal. The cultural diversity of Nepal has provided an ample space for the growth of a number of cuisines based on the ethnic groups and the geographical features of the nation. Hence, Nepalese cuisine encompasses a whole array of different cuisines rather than one single type of cuisine. Dahl baht, rice and lentil soup, is a staple dish of Nepal

• Newari cuisine - Newars are an ethnic group originally living in the Kathmandu Valley, now also in bazaar towns elsewhere in the so-called hills (Himalayan foothills, up to about 10,000'/3,000m). Widespread use of water buffalo meat even though it is avoided by stricter Hindus as too cow-like. Also has various fermented preparations. In the fertile Kathmandu and Pokhara valleys this cuisine often includes a greater variety of foodstuffs than are available in most of the hills.
• Khas or Pahari cuisine - Food of upper-caste Hindus in the hills, conforming to their dietary restrictions, i.e. no pork or beef, with prohibitions on beef extending to yak and buffalo. Dal-Bhat (boiled rice eaten with a spicy lentil sauce) is the staple dish for those who grow or can afford rice. Alternative staple foods are unleavened flat wheat bread (wheat is widely grown as a winter crop) and coarse cornmeal mush (corn is a summer crop in upland un-irrigated fields). The so-called hill tribes or janajati and untouchables may eat pork and buffalo.
• Terai cuisine - cuisine of lowlands south Mahabharat Lekh. Often indistinguishable from cuisine of adjacent parts of India, but with some variations among Tharu and other ethnic groups. Also more varied than hill cuisine with a greater variety of crops grown locally or grown in cooler climates in adjacent hill regions as cash crops and exported to the Terai.
• Himalayan cuisine - Eaten by culturally Tibetan and similar ethnic groups in northern parts of the country. Barley and millet are the main grains. Heavy use of potatoes. The meat of yaks and possibly yak-cow hybrids may be used, as well as their milk.