This weekend, we attended a Nepalese Cultural Evening, hosted by NeST (Nepalese Society in Trondheim: https://nestgroup.wordpress.com/about/). This is an annual event, and clearly a popular one! One of the biggest auditoriums at the university was completely full, and a lot of people who were there seemed to have a personal connection to Nepal. One guest had worked to establish a Nepali-Norwegian relationship to promote education and exchange of knowledge over a long period of time. This relationship is today a thriving one, and I found that this really highlighted how much of a difference one person’s initiative can make.
The first thing on the program was an exhibition, showcasing Nepalese art, everyday objects, and other items that are integral to Nepalese culture.
We then went into the auditorium for a couple of hours of colourful dance, video presentations, and talks. We saw the devil dance, or Lakhey dance, after the demon Lakhey in Nepalese folklore.
A small part of the rich variety of Nepalese traditional clothing and culture was shown through dance:
After a nice show with a good sprinkling of humour, we headed to the cantine to try some typical Nepalese food. We could serve ourselves from a buffet with rice and several kinds of dishes; lentil soup, and stews with different vegetables and spices. It was delicious, and as I’m an avid fan of lentils and vegetarian food, I’m definitely looking forward to learning a few tricks from the Nepalese!
Amalie Heiberg,
Project Nepal NTNU
