On Tuesday, Oct. 15, Ramapo’s South Asian Club hosted their annual Dashain event. The event was held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Trustees Pavilion and helped introduce Hindu culture to the Ramapo community.
The traditional Dashain holiday is a 15-day festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Dashain is one of the biggest festivals in Nepal and other Indian states and involves prayers and offerings to Durga, the Universal Mother Goddess. This festival is also known as a harvest festival, a time for family reunions, exchanging of blessings and a Hindu and Buddhist ritual.
Since international students from Nepal are away from home and can not celebrate with their family, the South Asian Club does their best to bring a bit of culture to campus. At the event, students did as many of the traditions of the festival as they could in one single night to honor the holiday.
President of South Asian Club Bibhuti Ghmimire said in an interview with The Ramapo News, “Dashain serves as a much-needed break from daily stresses, offering a joyful opportunity for people to come together, reconnect, and strengthen their relationships.”
The event started with photos taken in a photo booth to bring everyone closer and to represent the community coming together. Afterwards, the tika ceremony began. Students were asked to line up at a table in the back of the room to receive their blessing. The mantras said through the blessing invoke blessings for long life, health, prosperity, strength and wisdom. It also becomes a meaningful time for reflection, connection and cultural pride.
To begin the blessing, the “elders” of the e-board were asked to bless the “younglings” as per tradition. Once the e board was done, President Jebb as well as students at the event lined up to receive their blessings. Every participant got a red mark made of tika placed on their forehead as a blessing was said and then had pieces of barley placed on their ear.
Ghmimire said, “The atmosphere of Dashain — marked by festive dressing, music, dancing, and singing — creates a space where people can relax and destress, finding joy in both cultural traditions and each other’s company, making their relationships more meaningful and valuable.”
Following the blessing, students were offered an array of traditional Indian cuisine ranging from butter chicken, garlic naan, tikka masala, rice and mango lassi. While students were eating, there was a special dance performance done by a few members of the e-board and a special Niwali song performance that are a part of the traditions of the festival.
Nathan Kong, who attended the event said in an interview with The Ramapo News, “The Nepalis make up a sizable chunk of the Ramapo community so this event is an important event and if they are to feel a little bit more at home, I think it is a great thing to increase activity with the International community here at Ramapo.”
Ramapo offers students the opportunity to showcase their culture and connect with other students on campus which can help foster connections by welcoming new ideas and collaborations with other student groups.
President Jebb in an interview with The Ramapo News said, “I think it is lovely when we share cultures and it helps us with deeper understanding and empathy and I think you learn a lot about yourself and others,” She says, “I think it is just beautiful.”
rbleich@ramapo.edu
Featured photo by Rebecca Bleich
