2 October, Dhankuta. Once upon a time, the villages of Dhankuta used to search for red clay and kamero with Dashain. The custom of painting the walls of the house with red clay, making it white with kamero and putting fakes on the wooden windows and doors was an integral part of the preparations for Dashain.
Family members used to clean the house together. However, now this scene is rarely seen even in the village. Instead, the trend of using different modern colors in the house has increased.
Along with the increase in the use of cement and modern construction materials, this original tradition, which has been going on for generations, is disappearing due to the changes in the structure of houses and people's lifestyle.
Hari Bahadur Basnet of Dhankuta Municipality-2 still remembers the hustle and bustle of people going to collect soil to carry home when Dashain was approaching until a few years ago. He says that there is a crowd of common people in places where chimtia and red clay are found.
"Earlier, before Dashain, it was customary to go to look for soil to fill the house. After plastering the house with mud, the house looked clean and neat," says Basnet, "now cement houses have grown. With the increase in the custom of applying different colors to the house, the custom of painting with clay is also disappearing.
Earlier, while preparing for Dashain, family members used to clean the courtyard, paint the walls and decorate the windows. In some places, even neighbors and relatives used to help each other clean their houses. This practice of giving a new look to the house was also a means of collective cooperation and intimacy along with the joy of the festival.
Nowadays, various types of colors are easily available in the market. The process of making concrete houses using cement, bricks and other modern materials has increased. With the increase in the trend of using modern colors in such houses, the use of locally available red clay and kamero is decreasing.
Red clay and Kamero's own specialty
In the beauty of traditional houses, red clay and Kamero had a special place. Red clay used to make the walls of the house dark, while kamero gave white color. These materials were used according to the structure and requirements of the house.
This practice of making the house clean and attractive by using locally available materials has been going on for generations. Cleaning the house before Dashain was not only a cleaning or decoration task, it was also a cultural practice associated with the arrival of the festival.
Local knowledge and skills were used in the work from finding soil for building the house to preparing it and applying it to the wall. However, as the use of modern construction materials increases, the transfer of such skills to the new generation is becoming weaker.
Faking is also disappearing
Along with the tradition of covering the house with red clay and kamero, the tradition of putting fakes on wooden windows and doors is also disappearing.
According to 71-year-old Mohan Thapa of Dhankuta Municipality-2, in the past, black khoto was prepared by spreading the bark of sal tree and cooking it in water. It was customary to use the fake wooden windows and doors and necessary parts.
It was a custom to use false windows and doors made from bark. After wearing it once a year, it was believed that Dhamira would prevent wood from eating and getting dirty,' says Thapa.
It was believed that it would help to protect the wood as well as giving black color to the window and door. However, nowadays the practice of using modern colors, varnishes and other chemical substances on wood has increased.
People who are knowledgeable about the process of making fakes and its use are also decreasing. From the identification of local forest resources to the methods of preparation and use of materials, the knowledge is becoming unfamiliar to the new generation.
According to Thapa, the use of red clay, Kamero and Khoto was a part of the culture associated with Dashain Tihar. Now, as the old practices are disappearing, the new generation is also getting less information about such materials and their use.
Changing traditions with changing homes
Earlier, in the villages of Dhankuta, it was more customary to build houses using stone, mud and wood. According to the structure of the house, lippot was made from local materials. Generations of experience and skills were used in house construction and maintenance.
Nowadays, the process of making concrete houses using cement, bricks and rods has increased. The practice of using modern colors on the interior and exterior walls of the house has become widespread. As decoration materials are easily available in the market, the need to search for clay and clay has also decreased.
Modern building materials have given new options in the structure and decoration of the house. However, along with that, the use of local ingredients, the skills to prepare them, and the risk of losing old practices associated with festivals have also increased.
During Dashain, the custom of cleaning, painting and giving a new look to the house would increase the excitement of the festival and strengthen family cooperation and community relations. Nowadays, while the trend of decorating houses with different colors is increasing, the old scene of decorating houses with red clay and kamero is gradually disappearing from the villages of Dhankuta.
