Welcoming Gesture

By Barun Roy

Welcoming ceremony is an important gesture of guest relation. Every country has its own way of going it with a torch of uniqueness and originality. Tourist welcoming has over the years become the best lobbying factor in the tourism industry around the globe. Indeed a travel experience begins and ends with it. The ritual of doing so differs widely among the hospitality industries as it is done to make the guests feel comfortable. It makes them feel homely and accepted.

Rooted in its culture and religious traits. Nepalese/Gorkhas believe that guests are incarnations of Gods so the famous saying goes, “Athiti dewa bhawa”. Nepalese believe in gods and they pray to Gods every day. Prying is a part of their daily routine. In Darjeeling Hills, guests who come to one’s home are considered to be the forms of God. So the guests are welcomed whole-heartedly and attended to with care and respect.

Carrying on the culture, hotels also welcome guests with typical Nepali gestures. Welcoming in a traditional style and with traditional object makes a great deal of difference in what we are offering thereby giving us a separate identity from the other communities. Different forms of gestures are carried out to welcome the guests. Namaste is the simplest and the most popular way of welcoming guests in Nepali culture. The other simple way of doing so is by putting tika (a mixture of rice, curd and red powder) on the forehead with a welcome drink. Putting on garlands and Khadas (white scarf used mostly by Buddhist) and giving bouquets are also an integral part of Nepalese welcoming gesture.

As to more better and sophisticated welcoming, musical instruments like dhime baja, sarangi, madal, flute, ek tare are used. Different ethnic groups have different styles of welcoming. A typical welcoming ceremony is most often practiced among the Newari (Pradhan) community. Beautifully adorned ladies clad in traditional attire called Haku Patasi (black cotton saree with red border) stand in a row and present a small wreath of flowers greeting ‘Namaste’. Tamang also has a very distinctive style of conducting welcoming ceremony whereby people dressed in Tibetan-monk clothes pour traditionally made spirit in the cupped hands of the guests accompanied by traditional Tibetan musical instruments.

Panchakanyas are the highest symbol of welcoming guests. They are the five embodiments of Goddess Mahavidya, Astha Sidhi, Nawa Durga, Sidhidhatri and Maha Gauri. Only girls between 8 – 10 years of age can actually become a Panchakanya. In Hindu religion, everyone relies on divine power to successfully accomplish a work without much hindrance, for which blessings of gods and goddesses are required. Panchakanyas are seen on special festivals and state occasions to garland prominent personalities, visiting dignitaries or state guests as a blessing so that their aspirations come true.

Prettily adorned in chaubandhi cholo, sari, and sirful (gold plated headband) panchakanyas stand side by side with Naumati bajas (constituting nine traditional music instruments) playing alongside. To each passing guest panchakanyas offer a garland with a smile.

Emily, a tourist from America says, “I really enjoyed the putting on of the traditional tika as we don’t have any such kind of rituals in our country. Just to see the red tika on my forehead was a mere excitement for me and my friends.”

For tourists lie Emily what more can we offer that will make a memorable experience of their trips in their minds than such a traditional welcome. The traditional rites and rituals we take on to welcome our guests are not offered anywhere else and cannot be provided even if they are ready to offer any amount of money. Getting tourists in the hills is not the only objective in our list, as we also have to focus on such basic activities like welcoming which will have a long term impact on tourists. This will further nurture guest relations and preserve our tradition.

[Photo courtesy Nepal Mountain News]