Lucy's last posting just reminded me of when we were in Nepal in October 2001 and the Dashain Festival (Festival of the Mother Goddess) was on. The celebrations continue over a week, and during that time everyone who can makes their way to the house of their oldest female ancestor. There were people travelling everywhere, on every conceivable conveyance, hanging out of buses, cars, doubling on motorbikes; carring gifts wrapped in red paper or fabric; wearing beautiful bright new clothes; cars decorated with garlands of orange marigold flowers; HUGE swings made out of bamboo, erected in the villages especially for the festival; goats for slaughter by their thousands being walked from Tibet through Chitre to Pokhara,and on to Kathmandu; and offerings to the Goddess of rice, marigolds etc in roadside shrines, in factories, shops, anyplace really. There were animal sacrifices (that we didn't see by choice), and such an air of excitement that I'll never forget it. It was a wonderful experience.

Cheers, Sally