Whilst I was in Nepal last month, there was the festival for the Rain God in Patan - where a 30 foot tall chariot is constructed and then processed through the streets in the old town.  It is pulled along by rope by many people, which seems quite a hard task!

I have seen this chariot at various times during my visits to Nepal, and thought it looked like a giant christmas tree!  Once I even got stuck on my cycle with the procession coming towards me, with crowds of people and the massive chariot which I got stuck amongst and eventually managed to find a side road to escape the hoards of people!

Actually it celebrates: "....the happiness of heavy shower at a time when famine took place in Kantipur, according to a legend......

....Rato Machchhindranath is considered both a Hindu and Buddhist god, who by legend was brought from Assam (India) during the reign of Lichchavi King Narendra Dev, by a farmer to Lalitpur valley in Nepal to prevent a drought during the rice season.................The longest running chariot festival in Nepal recreates this event in hope for good rain. It begins with the construction of the chariot in Pulchowk, Lalitpur and ends with the Bhoto Jatra festival in Jawalakhel....... It is celebrated by Buddhists and Hindus of Newar community. It is celebrated by pulling the chariot to different places in the town of Patan."

So the festival happens annually in April/May before the monsoon arrives in Kathmandu, which is necessary in the rural areas for farming, but also for the hydro power sources, which currently means a little bit more electricity, and less load shedding around the valley (fingers crossed!) - as usually power shortage is reduced from up to 12 hrs a day to sometimes around 6 hours without power. Well, every little helps!

Well it's WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY!

I popped into Kumbeshwar Technical School to collect some samples yesterday, and found all the knit producers competing in a Knit swatch design competition run by Safia Minney at People Tree!

Safia and her team at People Tree UK and Japan has worked closely with Kumbeshwar for over ten years I think, developing their skills and increasing their productions consistently.  And so over the years both People Tree and KTS have grown together, such a positive business relationship!

To celebrate World Fair Trade Day, People Tree had organised a design competition open to all producers at KTS, to produce a new idea for a knitted swatch.  They were stitching all the swatches together (with each producers name on the back side) to make a giant bag for display!  Great to see such creativity encouraged and supported!

 

So the river that seperates the main part of Kathmandu from the south city of Patan, has always been a bit of sight since i have been here. The river is full of rubbish and the whole area smells really bad, such a shame.  But for some Nepalese people, the side of the river is their home.  Mainly for people with no legal paperwork, coming in form the rural areas, they have constructed temporary housing along the river side, which has been there for as long as I have known.

Yesterday I saw lots of the police with big trucks, all preparing to knock down these people's homes.  Loads of people were watching from the bridge and across the other side.

It seemed really sad to demolish these peoples homes, but I reeeally hope the government has given them other opportunities for accomodation or land as an alternative......

 

So as NLT leather workshop is where I spend most of my time in Nepal, working on the patterns and checking on quality control etc when my productions are happening, so of course I wanted to take my parents there to meet people there! We had bought a lot of Indian milk sweets to pass around during the morning tea break, though I must admit, I'm not keen on eating them myself!!

Above: Several workers had holiday leave , so here is several of the producers: - from left to right:

Kumar, Shyam, Bel, Maita, Me!, Kamala, Man Bahadur, Alka, Surya Kala, Bhagawati, Shanti.

Below: The regular product spread at NLT, and Bharat Neupane, who is the fantastic production manager for NLT.

Also, when i was showing my parents around the NLT office, they had all their usual product collection laid out for a meeting with one of the big charity buyers - such as Tearfund, Traidcraft and Ten Thousand villages (who buy products already designed by handicraft charity units such as NLT).  So we had a look!

My products are designed individually by myself only for AURA QUE, and then we work through the sampling process with Kumar, Ram and Shyam. And these are very different style and price range from the regular offering they produce.

So I finally made time to go trekking up to Muktinath, which is a holy pilgramage site in the North of Nepal near the Tibetan plateau.  Having only trekked in the more leafy and tropical areas in the valleys, I was really excited to see the bleak vast open arid space in the Lower Mustang area.

Above: At the temple in Muktinath

The views were incredible, all around mountains, with fantastic colours and tones in the scenery.  At 3800 metres, it is a little bit short of air up there! We passed through the village of Muktinath, Kagbeni (the gateway to Upper Mustang), Tukuche, Marpha and more...

This was the main route for the Salt traders who exchanged Tibetan wool and Himalayan Salt for Rice with the Thakali people in the area.

More recently, Marpha and the surrounding area has been used for apple farming, making this a popular local fruit - we tried the local Apple cider, sat in the sun one afternoon!

Higher up, we saw lots of women with these home made weaving machines, where they would make these very brightly coloured scarves and shawls.

I just really enjoyed the complete change of landscape from bleak arid mountain tops to the lush green valley, as teh route follows the Kali Gandaki river, which runs from Tibet down to India, through one of the worlds deepest gorges - surrounded by 3 of the world's 14 highest mountains over 8000 m - Dhaulagiri I, Annapurna I, and Manaslu - of which we had fantastic views of all on the way down!!! Epic!!

I took my parents on this trek this month, during their first visit to Nepal so my recent job has been as a tour-guide alongside AURA QUE work!! It has been great to show them Nepal and the people I work with - more blog posts to come on this!!

This week it has been Nepali New Year! There were plenty of celebrations around the valley despite the weird rain storms, unlikely of this time of year.

The official Nepali Calendar is Bikram Sambat, which is based on the lunar calendar and ancient Hindu tradition, and over 56 years ahead of the solar Gregorian calendar that we all know! That is why the year here is now 2069!

Unlike Gregorian months, the lengths of Nepali months are not predetermined and change from year to year, so all festival and calendar dates change from year to year, though New Year usually falls in April.  Also celebrated in Nepal is Tibetan New Year (Losar) in January and Newari New Year also - so plenty of celebrations!!!!

So Happy New Year All!

 

 

AURA QUE has donated one of our Small Leather Handbags to the 2012 Raffle by the Tibet Relief Fund, which will be drawn this week.  This charity do great work to help Tibetans inside Tibet and in exile - please see information about their work below - as well as the link to their raffle below.

http://www.tibetrelieffund.co.uk/home/raffle-2012/

From the Tibet Relief Fund Website:

Through the generosity of our supporters, since 1959 Tibet Relief Fund has financed over £4 million worth of vital projects and helped tens of thousands of Tibetans both inside Tibet and in exile. Our projects have included ...

• Building schools, medical centres, old people's homes and libraries in Tibet, India and Nepal
• Facilitating a broad educational sponsorship programme for Tibetan children in India and Nepal
• Developing a ground breaking Tibetan run youth initiative to include mentoring, career development and vocational training in India
• Promoting health and medical programmes, travelling eye clinics and providing materials for grass roots health care in Tibet, India and Nepal
• Partnering with NGOs in Tibet to provide access to clean water, community water pumps and solar kettles for nomadic families
• Equipping Tibetan settlements in India and Nepal with essential tools and implements including tractors, ambulances and water tanks

http://www.tibetrelieffund.co.uk/home/about-us/

The main day of the hindu festival of colour, HOLI, was yesterday and celebrated in Nepal! Disappointed I wasnt there for it, as everyone throws powdered colour at each other on the streets! The kids go crazy, its great!!

Infact I haven't been in Nepal for Holi since my first time there in 2003.  Then we had 20 kids in the extended family we were staying with in a rural village in the south of Nepal, all running after us iwth hands full of powdered bright colours! (see the pic bottom right for the outcome!)

HOLI marks the end of the winter season and the start of spring in the lunar calendar, which I am VERY glad about!!

I love all the bright coloured powders when they are all lined up in baskets at market (they are used for most hindu festivals, such as Laxmi Puja, in a more serene fashion) - the colours remind me of the new geometric coloured patterns that will be available in our Jogi Range later in the summer - see picture below - fun!!

At AURA QUE, we are continuing to work with various members of the World Fair Trade Organisation in Nepal, as well as other small family busineses, to promote ethical trading.  Now it is Fair Trade Fortnight - see the Fair Trade Foundation 'Take a step' Website here:

http://step.fairtrade.org.uk

See how Future Frock put together a Fair Trade outfit, also using our AURA QUE Large Handbag:

http://www.futurefrock.com/blog/fairtrade-outfit-of-the-day/

AURA QUE is celebrating with a 20% discount code for our online boutique.  Please use the code FTFT2012 at the online check out to receive 20% discount.

Go to our online boutique here: http://shop.auraque.com/products

Our new summer AURA QUE range of cotton bags with leather handles have been made cut, made by the women at Sana Hastakala and passed to our leather producer to add the handles and straps.

The bags come in a Large and Small size, both roomy casual bags, in heavy cottons, stripes and geometric striped fabrics.

Large Pocket Bag shown above in BW Geometric and Light Brown, retailing at £85

Small Pocket Bag shown above in Light Brown, Grey/Cream Stripe, BW Geometric, retailing at £65.

Coming soon!

Yes January is a dreary month, even in Nepal, but it was nice to celebrate the marriage of Aamir and Huma last week! Aamir and his family's tannery have been working with me on the current Nepalese buffalo leather we use at AURA QUE for over a year now.

It was nice to meet Aamir's friends and family members at the Kathmandu stint of the wedding celebrations! It sounded exhausting, the celebration in Huma's hometown of Calcutta, then a massive reception for 1000 people in Biratnagar on 25th December then the Kathmandu celebration at the Shangri-La Hotel. Cor blimey, and I thought weddings in England were extravagant!

I was told that the celebration in Kathmandu was more 'Nepali style' than the main ceremony for the Muslim family, whose hometown is in Biratnagar on the Nepali-Indian Southern border.

A 'small affair', the celebration included music with traditional Nepalese instruments and cultural songs, a selection of indian, nepali and western food (with some great cakes!), all in the beautiful five star hotel in Lazimpat, Kathmandu.  It really looked beautiful in the evening with all the lights around the pond, with the statue and fountain etc! 

We all kept warm around the fires dotted around the garden...

and I was addicted to the cranberry juice with pomegranates in the bottom - mmmm!

Huma looked fantastic in a white glittering sari with all the wedding jewellery, matching Aamir with his diamonte collared suit, fantastic!

I went for dinner at their house the other night, was nice to see Huma settling into Kathmandu life! All the best to you both for the future!!

This week there was a day strike imposed by student groups about the increased prices of petrol.  This meant that there was absolutely no traffic on the road all day. These bandhas happen frequently in Nepal, it seems to be the only way known to protest.....but it stops businesses and industry, very frustrating!

So everyone either stayed at home or had to walk or cycle to work. I opted for the cycle to work, but when i past big groups of guys with sticks and burning fires on the main road, i got off my bike and walked a little as I don't want any trouble!

Usually crammed with traffic, its amazing to see the streets without any vehicles - only a few ambulances, and police vans were about.  The police presence was felt also.

I passed one protest march along the way, where they were all chanting and waving flags.  The price of petrol has now gone up to 115 Rs a litre (just under £1) as the Nepalese petrol corporation owes too much money to India (who supplies all the petrol to Nepal).  This is very high for a country where the average person earns minimum 6000 Rs a month (approx £50).

Though its a problem, I don't understand how this is a constructive way to protest and make a difference by stopping businesses opening. It did make the Nepalese Prime Minister call a government meeting though....lets see if anything comes of it......but for now, its best to be on the bike!!

So Saturday is generally the only day off in the factory, and though we are nearly finishing our Spring/Summer 2012 production, this week I went to the KTM Family Fair! There is not much to do for kids in Kathmandu - not many children friendly activities or places to go, so Shirley Bredal (who produces fair trade childrens knit wear in Nepal) organised the first Family Fair!

It was great to be a part of it - preparing for the creative workshops and candy shop, as well as the different shows that went on during the day! We had a great turn out, and lots of happy kids I am sure :)

Set in the 'Garden of Dreams' which is a renovated Nepali Rana palace with beautiful gardens and architecture, in North Kathmandu....

There were creative workshops, making crowns, masks, playdough models and origami! Great to see the kids being so creative!

and cupcake decorating at the candy shop!

The sack race....

Facepainting....they had packed up before i had time to try this!

The magician show

B Boys....

The Shirley Bredal and AURA QUE stalls...

And I met Winnie the Pooh and Minnie Mouse!

Lots of fun....big thanks to Shirley Bredal and Bikash Gurung for organising the event!

So there was another Nepalese Festival today - I was totally unaware of it until I arrived at the factory.  Some places have a day off so that must have been why the roads were so quiet on my cycle to work!

In the morning, Man Bahadur presented me with the lump of what looked like tree root, stained purple, with hair root bits coming out of it and a thin bark-like skin. Not very appealing!  He said it was eaten on this 'auspicious day' and I had to peel it and eat all of it. No way out of that then!! Hope I don't get sick from it but it tasted like potato, not that bad!

Then I got MORE at lunchtime from Shanti!!

It is always hard to find out the meaning of these many different festivals, I vaguely understood that it marked an important point in the lunar calendar (which Nepal follows, hence the year is now 2068....!). I was also told that people tend to start new projects after this time, as it marks a change in season.

So after a bit of internet research i found out this:

 

"Maghe Sankranti is one of the important festivals in the country, especially the Tharu community in Nepal and is a time of family reunion and celebration.

The festival is mostly marked by Nepali Hindus by taking ritual bath in confluence of rivers and offering worships in various temples, and eating special delicacies like chaku (hardened molasses), til ko laddu (sesame sweets) and tarul (yam).

The members of the Tharu community observe this festival as Maghi by organizing traditional dances, consuming various delicacies and displaying traditional costumes.

This day or the day of Maghe Sankranti is regarded as the coldest day of the year and marks the start of warmer season.  According to the religious facts and beliefs, the sun is believed to leave its southernmost position and begin its northward journey.

The people of Magar, Chhantyal and Tharu communities celebrate the festival as Maghi, marking the beginning of a new year with this day."

http://news.xinhuanet.com

Note: the Tharu communities are mainly from the Terai and the southern region of Nepal. 

 

Phew! so I hope this means that it gets warmer in Nepal - after 6 weeks here over the coldest season, without central heating, I am now cold to the core!! Looking forward to sunnier weather in 2012!

Cor blimey, its cold here in Nepal - I am missing central heating UK style!! Anyway, the AURA QUE production is coming to an end and the new samples for next season are also nearly there - its been busy!

Random, but on a visit to my local nepalese corner shop to get some groceries, there were these little sparrows flying around inside (probably keeping warm!).  See if you can spot the two birdies amongst the consumables!!

So after the Christmas Day church service with Surya Kala, as I was away from home, and had the day off, my friend and I set about constructing and decorating a gingerbread house that my family had given me.....ok, a bit of a random activity but it felt very festive (with Home Alone on HBO in the background!).

After I finished my masterpiece, i didnt know what to do with all that gingerbread, icing and candy, so I took it into the NLT leather factory between christmas and new year (as I was managing the AURA QUE production whilst their production manager was away to visit his family in the village of Gorkha). And no, i didn't cycle to the factory that day, with the house balanced on the back, I took a taxi....

So all the guys in the factory seemed amused at what i had brought it, and it took me a while to explain during the 11 o'clock tea break, that i wanted them to 'destroy' the house, and eat it.....

Above: Kumar

Above: Man Bahadur

But they soon got the hang of it and as I passed it around, they all grabbed a handful!

Above: Manchu

Above: Bhim and Shyam

My lovely sample making team

From left to right: Man Bahadur, Kumar, Shanti and Manchu.

And the funniest thing was, when i left half the house on the side, and told all the guys in the main room of the factory to come and take what they wanted.....I left the room for 5 minutes, no less, and then it was ALL GONE!! Must have tasted good :)

Happy Christmas x

So with how the production schedule has worked out this year, I am in Nepal for Christmas for the first time.  Its not my favourite time to be here mainly because of the cold weather, which is accentuated by the lack of central heating everywhere, so i am permanently cold!

But I have managed to find some christmas festivities here and there. As well as celebrating with a Christmas Eve Dinner with my expat and Nepali friends, I was invited to Christmas Day Church service with Surya Kala and her family.

I was surprised to find a large congregation of Nepali christians, in the large decorated hall, and thought the sermon fell on deaf ears with me, there were children doing dances and christmas songs in Nepali which was really nice to see! I also loved all the christmas decorations, and every-one was so friendly!

Surya Kala works at the Nepal Leprosy Trust - she has brought up her two teenage daughters Elishiva and Esther on her own, since her husband died of leprosy many years ago, as well as surviving the disease herself.  She is such a kind and cheery woman, despite various health concerns over the last year especially.

Above Left: Esther and Elishiva (Surya Kala's daughters in their sunday best)

Above Right: Surya Kala (third from left) with her friends.

She converted the christian faith many years ago, and has since been very involved in the Nepali Christian community.  At the Christmas Day service, it was the first time she had been back for over a month since a major operation, so it was nice to see how welcomed she was by everyone!

Above: Christmas Dinner still consisted of the daal baht though!!! No change there!!

I hope every one has had a great christmas! It has definately been a different experience to celebrate here!!

So the first week of December saw AURA QUE at the Art Market at the Huddersfield Art Gallery during the weekend Festival of Light. 

It was such a fantastic event, with lots of great events around the town - including the Illuminated Light Garden, Aerial Ballet off the side of the Art Gallery building, and various entertainment and acrobatic shows at night!  It was great to see so many people down and around the town, braving the cold for the events!

We were a bit warmer in the Art Gallery for the weekend event - surrounded by such a great mix of local Yorkshire artists and designers (see pictures below of stands by Julia Ogden, Michelle Freemantle and Clare Lane)

It was such a great Christmas event to be part of, and great to see so many people there! Plus I had my first glass of festive mulled wine to start the season, before I had to fly back to Nepal for the next production and sampling session over Christmas and January.

Last Saturday, AURA QUE was part of the Leeds SUMMAT Gathering 2011 at the Leeds University Union.  The event was an all-age gathering for 1000+ people from all walks of life across Leeds and the north to explore the big issues of our time.  There were workshops about political/environmental/social issues with headline speakers, plus performances, activities and stalls - lots going on!

Here is a youtube clip of the opening event at the Leeds Summat 2011, with Harry Gration from BBC Look North: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mItA8O5N8Fw&feature=youtu.be

AURA QUE had a stall of our fair trade bags and accessories in the market area, but we were also involved in a workshop in the Art Zone.  My sister Elspeth led a workshop making pop-up christmas cards, inspired by the Nepali designs that my paper producer makes in Bhaktapur.

The local kids made pop-up christmas trees decorated with glitter and stars, backed onto the Nepali handmade lokta paper card base.  Here are a sample of some the cards they made!

In Nepal, the producers who make the handmade Lokta paper, use this material for various products. For more information on the making process of this paper, please see the AURA QUE 'process' section of our website or a previous blog post: http://auraque.posterous.com/making-paper-on-the-roof-top-in-bhaktapur

AURA QUE currently uses the Nepalese Lokta paper for stationary, swing tickets, business cards, gift bags and notebooks, where I can.  But they also produce beautiful pop up christmas cards (shown below) which are sold at the Holmfirth Fair Traders Cooperative:

http://www.thefairtraderscooperative.co.uk/