Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T20:40:21.585Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Gufa, a Unique Cultural Ritual—a Tale of a Forbidden Sun and a Girl

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2016

Pritisha Shrestha
Pritisha Shrestha*
Affiliation:
Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal email: prishafun@gmail.com
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Gufa, one of the traditional rituals, has been performed in Nepal since time immemorial by indigenous Newar people. In Gufa, a young girl who just had her first period is hidden in a sunless room for twelve consecutive days. This paper expounds the importance of ritual and its nexus with astronomy especially while interpreting how the daily motions of celestial objects have influenced the establishment and devolvement of a deep-rooted custom of Gufa.

Keywords

Cultural AstronomySunNepalNewarGufaRitual and Performance
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 11 , General Assembly A29A: Astronomy in Focus , August 2015 , pp. 146 - 147
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2016 

References

Allen, M. 1986, The Cult of Kumari (Kathmandu: Mandala Book Point)Google Scholar
Levy, R. 1990, Mesocosm: Hinduism and the Organization of a Traditional Newar City in Nepal (Berkeley: University of California Press)Google Scholar
Nepali, G. S. 2015, The Newars (Kathmandu: Mandala Book Point)Google Scholar
Tiwari, M. 2011, Women's Power to Heal: Through Inner Medicine (New York: Mother Om Media)Google Scholar
van Gennep, A. 2011, The Rites of Passage (Chicago: University of Chicago Press)Google Scholar