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MUSIC, ARTS, ADVENTURE TOURS OF NEPAL
What are some of the arts, culinary, and cultural tidbits of Nepal?
Here are some YouTube links to some videos we have made exploring some of the Arts and Culture so you can learn a bit before even landing in Nepal and get some ideas on things you might want to check out when you get there.
Kukhuri Knives: The famous Khukuri Knives of the Nepali Gurkha soldiers.
Pottery of Nepal
Honey: Amazing and unique Himalayan Honey Varieties
Paper Making: Traditional Paper Making from the Lotka Plant
Handmade Bricks and Terracotta Art in Building
Masks for religious dances - how do they make those amazing Newari masks?
Dande Biyo: A traditional village kids game.
Buddhist Chanting: The Nuns of Nagi Gumpa chanting prayers and meditating.
Thangka Art Explained
Moonshine: Traditional Moonshine Making in Nepal
Tongba: Traditional high-mountain alcoholic beverage made of millet seeds served hot called Tongba explained.
Paragliding is an option some do in Nepal that we can set up for those interested along with some other adventure sports for those interested. Nepal is globally highly respected as a paragliding destination. In our Pokhara day folks can also opt for boat rides, kayaking, zipline, bungy jumping, relaxing by the pool or lake, massages, etc. not only paragliding.
...and a woman who just tried it.
Traditional Gandharba Music: This link is to an hour long documentary Tara made with some collegues, which is now on Amazon called The Mountain Music Project. There is also an accompanying CD with the project called "The Mountain Music Project" with folks like Tim O'Brien, Tony Trischka, Curtis Burch, Danny Knicely, Tara Linhardt, Abigail Washburn, Mark Schatz and more. The film explores the amazing similarities between Appalachian Bluegrass and Old Time music and that of the Gandharba ethnicity in the Nepali Himalayas.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH OUR DOCUMENTARY FILM ON AMAZON about the Gandharba and Bluegrass/Old-Time musics .
Woodcarving: One of the things most remarkable in Nepal is trully the magnficent woodcarvings. There are Newari woodcarvering families who have been carving wood (and some carving stone) into giant temples, Hindu and Buddhist statues of all sizes, doors, windows, and all sorts of things that will be sure to amaze. We have yet to make a whole video on it since it is such a huge topic.
Dance: There are many ethnicities living throughout Nepal, each with its own rich music and dance traditions.
There are so many different types of dance throughout Nepal and within various ethnic communities- some with relgious significance, some for certain holidays or times of the year, and some just for fun. Here is a lovely version of a young girl doing the Nepali plate dance. There is nothing sticky holding these plane metal plates to her hand. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of very loud mistakes dropping the metal plates to get all the speeds and angles perfect to keep the plates up and in motion.
Felt making in Nepal
They make handmade paper from ELEPHANT POOP in the south of Nepal where it is warmer and flatter and have lots of elephants and rhinos and the like. Here is a video we made explaining a bit about that.
We also have a series of videos you can watch if you are interested in hearing or learning some of the endangered languages of the Himalayas that we have made called "The Treasured Word Series."
If you are interested in trying to learn to do some of these or other tradtional crafts, arts, music, dances, cooking, meditation, etc - tutorials can be arranged based on your schedule and desires. Volunteering and you possibly teaching something in Nepal may also be possible. Contact us to discuss options.
Trekking: Trekking of course has become a definite element of Nepali Culture over the last century.
We offer Trekking Extensions with our Flagship Arts and Culture Tours, and also have a just Trekking Option. Contact us to find out about some Tours we might offer that have not been announced yet on our website upcoming trips. If you have a group we can also customize Trekking Tours as well as our other tours for adults, student groups, or family groups. Here is a glimpse into some of the Treks we have led in the Himalayas.
Contact us to find more info, to get on our email list, to register for our next tour at TaraWorlds@gmail.com.
