La Rue Vibre !

Since we have hit the roads of Asia we haven’t seen so many manifestation of street dance and music, far less than in Latin America. It may be the culture, but also maybe luck.
Nevertheless streets here a plainly alive and buzzing, and are a living place in their own right. There people eat, shop, repair shoes etc. So it should not be a surprise to see that some people even take over the street for traditional and familial events.

With three weeks in Nepal we assisted to two of these events : a ceremony probably funeral (difficult to say without speaking Nepali) and a wedding.

We were passing by one of the last non-remote village in the trek around the Annapurnas.

The funeral ceremony was hold near a house. A tent had been put up, and on some altar several stick of incense were slowly burning . Five men were singing and hitting percussion instruments in a staccato, while walking slowly in a circle, producing a repetitive and stunning music.

Around them people were watching them, looking unperturbed and sad.
This very oppressive and calm atmosphere made us think it was a burial, but maybe we are being ethnocentric…

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Ten days later we were lucky enough to assist to a wedding in
Pokhara.
Here also a big tent had been put up for several days of festivity in front of a house, probably the bridal house. In the morning we saw people prepare the tent. Women were dancing amongst them (In Nepal men and women usually don’t mix that much).
Then they cooked their lunch.
In the afternoon men arrived in a procession, accompanied by musicians in traditional outfits.

Behind them was the bride and the groom in their new car, where they stayed for a long time!
A little crowed was taking pictures around, while the musicians were playing their Nepali instruments. People were happy and danced or were singing along.

Men group and women group were singing and dancing separated by a few meters, with rhythm and music style very different, sometimes musically calling the other group.

After a while the bride and the groom get out of the car and entered the tent, everybody following.

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