UCIE Nepalese Festival | Photo by Emily Mancuso | The Wright State Guardian
The Nepalese Student Association at Wright State University kicked off International Education Week on Monday, Oct. 30, with a celebration of the Nepali Dashain festival, complete with traditional song and dance.
Nepalese Student Association
While the event was a group effort of the Nepalese Student Association, the University Center for International Education and the Asian Student Association, the Nepalese Student Association spearheaded the event, as it was a representation of their culture.
The Nepalese Student Association is still being processed as a revived student organization, but they are excited to be able to share their culture with the WSU community.
“We are united with Nepalese people,” Nepalese Student Association President Niraj Prasad Bhatta said. “We want to learn something from American culture, or the other country’s culture, so we can grow because we don’t focus on a particular thing.”
The association plans to do even more cultural events and hopes to make the Dashain festival even bigger next year.
History and the event
Dozens of students and culture center faculty gathered in the Student Union atrium, the event having been planned six months ahead of time.
Indian Student Association President Sai Bhavana provided insight into International Education Week, in which Dashain was the first in the lineup.
“This time, we have Halloween also, which is a good thing that was included, and it’s very new for international people. The way we experience Halloween, we don’t have it in many of the countries, so it's a nice way for us and also maybe for the domestic students to come and tell us how it is,” Bhavana said.
Dashain is the biggest festival in Nepal and is celebrated for 15 days. It is a time for family and friends to come together and celebrate the victory of good over evil. The festival is also a time for people to pay their respects to their ancestors and to pray for good luck in the coming year.
The event at WSU began with a presentation on the history and culture of Dashain. The presentation was then followed by traditional singing and dancing. The event ended with a feast of samosas and kheer, which is similar to a sweet rice pudding, from Trust Indian Grill.
During the celebration, the male attendees wear the traditional 'Daura Suruwal,' and the females typically wear 'Gunyo Choli.' At the WSU event, the females were attired in saris, which is a unifying garment, according to Bhatta.
There were around 13 dance performers with nine song performers.
Director of UCIE Michelle Streeter-Ferrari spoke briefly at the event, commenting that she had not seen so many Nepali international students in over ten years.
“I’m just happy enjoying all of this and seeing all of you having so much fun, so from the University Center for International Education, we wish you the best and we thank you for sharing all of your talents and traditions and enjoying this evening with us. Thank you very much for letting us be a part of this,” Streeter-Ferrari said.
Bhatta commented that many Nepalese people have started to come back to America since 2016, ushering in a new era of Nepali culture in the United States.
“Keep supporting us, we are from Nepal,” Bhatta said. “Peaceful country. People are very, very nice in Nepal, like Americans.”
The Nepalese Student Association plans to continue to have the festival next year. For another festival celebrating nearby India's heritage, Diwali (Festival of Lights) will be celebrated on Thursday, Nov. 9.
