DVH027 The Festivals of Nepal - Religious Rites or Theatre?

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2002
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 1 credit for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: k (colloquium). Other types of completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Světlana Medulánová (lecturer), Dr. Július Gajdoš, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
Dr. Július Gajdoš, Ph.D.
Department of Theatre Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Marie Sochorová
Prerequisites (in Czech)
nevyžadují se
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 9 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The theatre as a phenomenon we know from our western world has never developed in Nepal. Nevertheless it is the land of festivals with a rich cultural heritage and the land of thousand deities. More than 90% of the Nepalese festivals have religious origin (even Nepalese Kings birthday because the King is believed to be the inkarnation of Lord Vishnu Himself). Festivals in Nepal means faith on God, feelings for family and fun with friends. They are mysterious, full of sounds and music, singing and dancing, smells and candles, new dresses and gifts, rice and flowers. For the Nepalese the continuous flow of interrelated festivals throughout the year is literally a way of life, reflecting their joys and fears, dreams and sorrows. The festivals become a calendar, marking the changing seasons, the revolving of the years and ages, giving people continuity and meaning to their lives. Not a single month passes without the observance of a great religious day of one or other sort known as Chadparva (festivals and festivities); nor a single locality is there without the site or route of a religious deity of one or other sort known as devidevata (gods and goddesses). Most of the festival celebrations originated centuries ago and have carried down through the ages from some mythological or perhaps actual events, most of them are based on the ancient Hindu and Buddhist texts. The festivals in Nepal are the great theatre performance where all people are both actors and spectators at the same time.
Syllabus
  • 1/ Introduction to the life and historical background of Nepal. 2/ The religious traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. 3/ Mahabharata and Ramajana, the Indian epics. 4/ Description of Gods, Goddesses and ritual objects of Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal. 5/ The calendar in Nepal. 6/ The groups of festivals during the year: winter season, spring season,monsoon season, harvest season. 7/ Characterization of the main festivals in the Kathmandu Valley. 8/ "Indra Jatra and Kumari Jatra", Festival of the King of the Gods and Living Goddess. 9/ "Dasain" or "Durga Puja", the Universal Mother-Goddess triumphs over Evil. 10/ "Tihar" or "Deepawali", Festival of Lights. 11/ "Kartik Nach", the mask dances and performances on the Patan Durbar Square. 12/ Festivals like a way of life. 13/ Parallels of the Indian and Ancient mythology.
Assessment methods (in Czech)
každý týden, kolokvium 2kr zkouška (+1kr)
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught every week.
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