A: Addressing others:
Namaste is used for greeting (hello, hi, good morning, good afternoon) as well as for parting (good bye, so long! Etc). Namaste is informal and common between friends. The formal and more polite form is “NAMASKAR” more common at the office with the officials and teachers.

In Nepali society “ DHANYABAD” is not as common as thank you in English. You say thank you even to a shopkeepers returning change. Nepalese reserve “DHANYABAAD” for something very important for a great occasion that really deserves it.

B: JUTHO:
Nepalese have a strong ritual sense of pure and impure, clean and unclean referred to by the term CHOKHO and JUTHO. CHOKHO means pure, untouched or undefiled whereas and JUTHO means impure defiled or having been touched by someone.

 Food & Etiquette
Food or drink touched by the lips or tongue becomes JUTHO. You cannot give it to anyone else or return it to the common pot.

• Nepalese don’t take food from another’s plate

• Nepali does not share their JUTHO food with their friends. So don’t offer food from   your plate to anyone once you start eating.

• Don’t touch any cooked food, unless it has been given to you to eat. It is all right to touch uncooked food such as fruits and raw vegetables.

• Don’t put more food on your plate than you can eat as Nepalese believe that the food should be respected, not thrown away. Once your lips or tongue has touched the food placed on your plate, it is considered polluted.

• People in Nepal eat with their right hand but use their left hand while drinking water (because the right hand is soiled with eating) they wash their hands with water before and after eating. People usually do not talk whole eating. The cook or their family members may sit near you and watch you eat just to find out whether you need something or are happy with food or not.

Nepali people believe that eating without washing one’s face is inauspicious for the day. If you are living in a Nepali family don’t take breakfast without washing your face at least first.

Don’t touch or step over:
(a) Person: Touching a person who is performing PUJA (worship) in the temple or in the worshipping room makes him JUTHO. He/she cannot continue PUJA without purifying themselves by taken a shower.

Touching a person who is brining water from a fiver or water tap can be JUTHO if it is holy water to perform some religious events or an offering to Gods/Goddess.

(b) Head: Touching some one head cap/hair is an offense and an insult as most Nepalese consider their head as a sacred part of the body and they touch only their own head. Don’t even pat children on the head. Touching a person mourning the death of family member makes both of you JUTHO. The mourning usually tries to sit apart from others.

(c) Feet: Nepali does not point the soles of their feet at another person. It is an insult and offending to other person. So, when you sit, make sure that your feet are not pointed at anyone. You can sit cross-legged or tuck your legs beneath you. Nepalese do not step on or over anything written (newspapers, books or magazines). In case that happens, they pick it up and touch it to their forehead to ask the God for forgiveness. Nepalese do not step over people or foods as Nepalese believe that the God dwells in every person and in food as well. So if your outstretched legs are across a doorway or path, pull them in when someone wants to pass.

If one accidentally touches someone with one’s feet he/she is supposed to say ‘BISHNU, BISHNU’ and while saying that, he/she first touches the other persons body (not on the head) with their right hand then immediately touch their own forehead. The indication is ‘Oh God, forgive me.’

The left hand vs right hand:
Nepali does not use their left hand while giving or receiving something. The left hand is considered to be inauspicious and ritually impure as it is used for cleaning after defecating. The left hand can be used for giving, receiving or passing things if the right hand is soiled from eating. Otherwise use only your right hand for eating or handing over an object. It is a sign of respect to give or receive things with both hands. Nepalese extend their right hand out and hold onto the right forearm with the left hand as they offer a accept objects.

Relation between Men and Women:
Nepali men and women do not show any physical interaction such as holding hands, hugging or kissing in public. Even husband and wife do not dare do this in public. Physical interaction between the same sexes such as hand holding and linking arms is very common in Nepal. It does not indicate a homosexual relationship. Do not compliment someone’s wife or husband or an adult or married woman before others. Sometimes words of appreciation could be misinterpreted, leading to difficult situation for you. When a woman is alone in the house do not go and meet her there. You should keep the door open while you talking with a woman in a room. Other people could misunderstand scenes. Nepali men and women do not even touch each other; they rather keep certain distance from each other. Women should be careful not to give any impression that you are too liberal or not serious about sexual relations.

Privacy:
Nepalese normally visit their friends or family without prior notice. Prior information is not a tradition. Nepalese usually do not knock on the door before entering into their friends or family member's room. Therefore lock the door from the inside while you are changing your clothes or doing anything privet. Nepali people may ask you questions about your family, personal life, personal preferences and even about your earning, occupation, and marital status etc. In most cases in Nepal this is a normal way of getting introduced to people. When friends see you after some time (a month or more) and you look very healthy or bit fat, they may say how fate you are’ in order to compliment you. It is never meant to offend you at all. To be ‘fat’ in Nepal means you are maintaining your health very well. Being skinny in Nepal is not a sign of good health. Nepalese do not expose their bodies when they change their clothes, even among members of the same sex. 

Dress:
Women should especially avoid dressing in revealing clothes such as tight clothes, shorts, or short skirt. Women should not expose their legs. They should wear long skirts or kurta salwar. Paints are okey if they are not tight. Wearing kurta sawlar is sensible and comfortable and it also gives the impression that a woman is making an effort to share Nepali culture. If women have to bath at a public tap, she should wear a ‘lungi’ that covers her from breast to knees. You just tie it up underneath the arms. The same can be used for swimming. If you are invited to ceremony or the celebrations of the weeding or other religious function, dress nicely with neat and clean formal dress. Formal dress gives you much respect and value.

Few Facts in Nepal

• Nepalese can remain without talking for a long time and they are not uncomfortable with silence.

• Invitations may arrive at the last moment. Even a short appearance is enough if you are busy.

• Maalaa (necklace) 0f shoes draped around someone’s neck is the ultimate insult.

• Offices outside Kathmandu often seem to be like a bus station with all kinds of people coming, sitting, and going at will.

• The person who invites others out to eat at a restaurant usually makes the payment. Nepalese usually don’t drive the bill or go ‘Dutch’. It is expected that the other people will reciprocate at some later time.

• Don’t expect your junior driver to mix easily with your senior administrative officer at the office party.

• Nepalese often tend to compare persons/groups/cultures in wealth, size of body, beauty, age, income etc. you may find yourself being compared with some westerner who a Nepali person or community has met or known before.

• Nepalese generally have community feelings. Most Nepalese make response with collective indications. Instead of saying “I, my and me” they say “we, our and us”. When hear such generalizations you are included in ‘we, our and us’.

• The concept of time in Nepal is mostly multidimensional, which is different from the concept of the time in the west, which liner. Nepalese generally do not break into fractions and schedules. Things happen rather casually here ad people get into doing things upon circumstances. Because of this nation of time, appointments may not happen in time and delays may occur. Therefore a person may show up at 4 fro a 3 o’clock appointment.

Ethnic diversity and custom of Nepal make Nepal the most fascinating tourist destination in the world. Official statistics indicates that Nepali population of around 23 millions includes more than 60 ethnic groups speaking 70 different languages and dialects. Northern Himalayan People, Middle Hills and Valley People and Terai People make up the total populations of the nation. Sherpas, Dolpas, Lopas, Baragaonlis and Manangis come under Northern Himalayan People. Magars, Gurungs, Tamangs, Sunuwars, Newars, Thakalis, Chepangs and majority of Brahmans and Chhetris are regarded as Middle Hills and Valley People. The Terai People are Tharus, Darai, Kumhal, Majhi and migrants from India. Nepali society is culturally influenced by caste hierarchy. Caste system comprises of Brahmin, Chettri, Vaisya and Shudra. Nepali is the official language. Nepal is a secular country. Hinduism and Buddhism are the two main religions. Official statistics shows that 89.5% of the population is Hindu, 5.3% Buddhist, 2.7% Muslim, 2.4% Shamanist and Animist, 0.1%Jain and 0.04% Christian. Regardless of ethnic background or religion, Nepali people are the most hospitable and friendly people you could ever wish to meet. Nepalese revere their guests as gods. Visit to Nepal can surely be an experience of a lifetime.

Nepalese Gustures

Nodding head:
As the west, Nepalese may nod their heads up to down (vertically) to mean "yes" and they may shake their heads from side to side (horizontally) to mean "no". But in Nepal, the "yes" movement is typically slower than the "no". Moreover, a very slow side-to-side "figure 8" roll of the head is also affirmative. This last head movement is the most confusing for westerners as it is easy to mistake fro "no" or "may be".

Flapping hands: An important hand gesture for westerners to understand is the one which means "no, I don't have it or any, or no, I don't want or any". To make the gesture, the hand is held out in front of you, as if you were going to shake hands, raised a little higher and flapped back and forth quickly.

For Come & Go:
Many westerners also mistake the Nepali hand signals for "come here" and "go away". Both are done with the arm extended in front of you, hand open, with the palm down for "come here" fingers and brought down and towards the chest while hand is closed as if drawing something towards to you. This can look like “Bye, Go away” wave the exact opposite what it really means. The Nepali gesture for “go away” is less confusing. In it the fingers of the extended hand are swept up and away, as if brushing something off the air in front of you.

Shaking hands:
In the west, particularly the U.S., handshakes are film and brief. In Nepal, handshakes are more extended and as a gesture of sincerity the left hand may be placed on top of the person’s hand you are shaking hand with. If the handshakes are too short, or if the hand is pulled away too quickly, this may be interpreted negatively, as a sign of dislike or anger.

Holding hands and embracing: Holding hands and embracing between the same sexes is very common in Nepal and expresses friendship between them. But it is not done between opposite sexes.

Eye contact:
During conversation a Nepali normally do not look at the eyes of the person he is talking with. Instead he may look elsewhere, but this does not imply dishonesty or impoliteness.

Questions:
Nepalese raise their hands and turn them once quickly towards the chest to indicate questions like “what, where, or when” depending upon the contexts.