Picturesque Nepal . , through all this movesthe grey-headed Commander, in a dignifiedmanner carrying out his inexorable jDortion ofthe ritual; stepping over the heaps of blossom,poor simple flowers with their petals dabbledwith gore, he blesses the colours one by oneaccording to the time-honoured tradition ofthe Durga Puja. Among the minor celebrations of thisfestival, two curious customs are observedwhich occupy two consecutive days. Thefirst of these is called the Kaka boli, and onthis occasion it is the practice of all the peopleto show kindness to the common crow. Thesebirds in almost all
Picturesque Nepal . , through all this movesthe grey-headed Commander, in a dignifiedmanner carrying out his inexorable jDortion ofthe ritual; stepping over the heaps of blossom,poor simple flowers with their petals dabbledwith gore, he blesses the colours one by oneaccording to the time-honoured tradition ofthe Durga Puja. Among the minor celebrations of thisfestival, two curious customs are observedwhich occupy two consecutive days. Thefirst of these is called the Kaka boli, and onthis occasion it is the practice of all the peopleto show kindness to the common crow. Thesebirds in almost all parts of India are a greatpest, and their persistent thieving makes themthe enemies of all. It must, therefore, be apuzzling matter for the crow tribe to find theirpredations unchecked, and even large quan-tities of food placed in prominent positions,which they are permitted to devour un-molested. San Vicente and his Crow mayhave some remote association with thiscustom, which also strangely reflects the oldballad—. A COriER-GILT SHRINE AT THE TEMILE OF SHAMIU-NATH. A DOG DAY 121 My good worthy masters, a pittance bestow,Some oatmeal, or barley, or wheat for the crow,A loaf, or a penny, or een what you a poor man, a grain of his salt may sufitice,For your crow swallows all, and is not overnice. The day succeeding the Kaka boli is knownas the Swana boh, and this is observed byevery dog in the streets being not only fed,but decorated with garlands and parts paintedwith vermilion. Every kindness and atten-tion is shown to the wandering pariah dog,unfortunately for this one day only, the dogday of Nepal. The origin of this performancemay be traced to the Hindu epic, the Maha-bharata, containing the account of Draupadiand his dog. This animal is supposed to havebeen an incarnation of Dharma raja, the divinejudge, and this seems to suggest the faithfulhound of Odysseus, with whose story thepoetry of the world begins. From the Festival it is not a far cry to thePilgrimage
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbrownper, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1912
