Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2019 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

The landlocked country of Nepal is best known for Mount Everest, or Sagarmatha, as it is known in Nepal. But there is more to this country than its highest peak. Here are five facts to get you started. 1. The city of Lumbini is the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama. He is better known as the Buddha, which means “the enlightened/ awakened one.” Lord Buddha founded Buddhism, and Buddhists consider Lumbini one of the holiest cities in the world. 2. Nepal is aiming to be the first country completely run by renewable energy sources. It is working with neighboring countries to build up its hydroelectric plants. The plants will harness the power of the rivers running down the Himalayas. 3. Yakkity yak! The yak is an indispensable animal in Nepal. It…

Wedged between two enormous neighbors, India (to the south, east, and west) and China (to the north), the small Asian nation of Nepal has a proud history. Though airplanes and modern roads have done much to end Nepal’s geographic isolation, political isolation remains a threat to the country’s growth and development. Nepal’s 29.7 million people live in some of the most beautiful and difficult surroundings on Earth. The snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas, the world’s tallest mountain chain, dominate the landscape. Most Nepalese live on the much shorter foothills or in deep valleys, not on the mountains themselves. But the Himalayas affect every aspect of Nepali life, for better and for worse. On the positive side, the mountains have helped keep out foreign armies. Unlike many other Asian countries, Nepal…

Kathmandu is the largest city in Nepal. One million people live within its borders. Archeologists excavating around the city found artifacts more than 5,000 years old. The official languages of Kathmandu, Nepali and Newar, are often used within the city. Because Kathmandu was on an ancient trade route between India and Tibet, its buildings are a fusion of the two countries’ styles. Many important buildings have been preserved as World Heritage Sites. The city has a world-famous jazz festival in the autumn called Jazzmandu. The name “Kathmandu” comes from the Kasthamandap temple, which used to stand in front of the historic palace. The temple was made from the wood of a single large tree. The most popular food in Kathmandu is a rice, lentil, and curry dish called dal bhat.…

Jumbled here you will find a traditional proverb from Nepal. The letters are directly below the column in which they fit, but they are mixed up within the column. Your job is to determine where each letter goes. Answers to the right on this page. Picture Credits mirzamlk/Shutterstock.com: inside front cover; Pisit Rapitpunt /Shutterstock.com: 2-3; Steve Allen/Shutterstock.com: 4; Yarr65/Shutterstock.com: 4-5; Jason Maehl /Shutterstock.com: 5;neelsky/Shutterstock.com: 7 (top); Alan Jeffrey/Shutterstock.com: 7 (bottom); Nick Fox/Shutterstock.com: 8; eMaofree /Shutterstock.com: 9; ichywong/Shutterstock.com: 10-11; CRS PHOTO/Shutterstock.com: 12;Damian Pankowiec/Shutterstock.com: 12;Alexandra Lande/Shutterstock.com: 13 (both), 18; Pawel Kopczynski/ Reuters: 14; Sudip Pokhrel/Alamy Stock Photo: 15; Leon Werdinger/Alamy Stock Photo: 16; Frank Bienwald/ Alamy Stock Photo: 17; Kondoruk/Shutterstock: 19; e2dan/Shutterstock.com: 20 (top); Indian Food Images/Shutterstock.com: 20 (bottom); Anna Tamila/Shutterstock.com: 21; branislavpudar/Shutterstock.com: 22; Andrew Bain/Alamy Stock Photo: 23; Siraj Ahmad/Shutterstock.com: 24…

The Nepali city of Lumbini is one of the holiest places in the world to 500 million Buddhists. It was where Siddhartha Gautama was born. He is better known as the Buddha, which means “the enlightened/awakened one.” Lord Buddha founded Buddhism, a religion followed by ten percent of Nepal’s population. Most Buddhists live in east and southeast Asia. Followers of Buddhism do not worship a god or supreme being. Instead, they focus on finding wisdom, inner peace, and personal spiritual development. Lumbini was officially recognized as the Buddha’s birthplace after archaeologists discovered an ancient sandstone pillar there in 1896. The pillar was erected in 249 B.C. by Emperor Asoka. Its inscription states that the Buddha was born in Lumbini in 623 B.C. Buddhists from around the world began making pilgrimages…

“When a Sherpa climbs Everest . . . for us, it is a journey into the lap of God.”–Norbu Tenzing The Sherpa are members of one of the Nepal’s best-known ethnic groups, yet they make up less than one percent of the population. They gained international recognition in 1953, after Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealand explorer Edmund Hillary reached the summit of Mount Everest (see page 25). The Sherpa—the “people of the east”—migrated from eastern Tibet in the sixteenth century. No one is sure why they left their homeland and traveled more than 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) to Nepal. It may have been because of war or religious persecution. They settled in the remote and uninhabited Solu-Khumbu region of eastern Nepal. It is home to the Himalayan mountain range,…

Dorje Dolma’s name means “thunderbolt goddess,” and you will probably agree that her name suits her. Dorje was just five years old when she started herding her family’s goats, sheep, and yak high in the remote Dolpo region of Nepal. By seven, she was defending them from snow leopards and wolves. Because she was the oldest of 11 children, her job was to herd the animals from sunrise to sunset on 18,000-foot mountains. She never had a day off unless she was sick. The village of Karang where Dorje lived is above timberline at 13,000 feet, and it is arid and barren. The animals had to go farther into the Himalayan highlands and valleys to graze on fresh vegetation. But it was dangerous. During the winter, narrow trails were icy…

Characters: Narrator, Pip (the papal or banyan tree), Bandevi (the goddess of the forest), Utti (the uttis, an evergreen tree growing in ravines), and Rhoda (the laligurans, or rhododendron) Narrator: Long, long ago, in the Himalaya Mountains of Nepal, trees used to get married. Pip: Greetings, Bandevi, I am ready to match another pair of trees for marriage. Bandevi: Have you seen beautiful Rhoda? Her blossoms fill the spring woodlands with a deep, crimson color. Because you are tall and able to see far away, explore the forest for a magnificent husband for her. Narrator: Pip and all the trees loved the brilliant Rhoda because she was loving and kind to everyone. Pip searched the forest for the most handsome tree to be her husband. Pip: I see a magnificent…

As ice from the snow-capped peaks of the mighty Himalayan mountain ranges melts, it forms rivers that cascade into the valleys of northern Nepal. These rivers give Nepal the potential to produce 90,000 megawatts of hydroelectric energy, which is enough for the whole country and then some. Only 1 percent of the country runs on hydroelectricity, but Nepal, India, and China are working together to change that. When the plants are fully operational, Nepal could be the first country to be completely run on renewable energy sources. What is Hydro Power? Hydroelectricity is created when the kinetic energy of running water is transformed into mechanical energy through turbines, which rotate to produce electricity. Hydroelectric power is renewable, which means that there’s no limit to how many times it can be…

Every morning in Kathmandu the streets are full of color. Children skip to school in red, blue, and orange uniforms. Women carrying infants wrapped in striped baby clothes walk to shops wearing bright dresses. Fathers dressed in trousers, long-sleeve shirts, and ties drive their motorbikes through the busy streets. Clothing says a lot about who a person is in Nepal. Whether you are a student, office worker, or cook, there is a special uniform for you. Students start school at six years old. They walk to class. Their families must purchase uniforms that indicate which school the children attend. Uniforms are a status symbol because they show the family has enough money to send their children to school, rather than keep them home to work. This is especially true for…

Mandalas are symmetrical designs with a middle point that has circles of geometric patterns radiating outward to the edge. They have been created in Nepal for hundreds of years. The concentration needed to complete the intricate designs helps Buddhist monks focus during meditation. Mandalas can be found in nature too such as snowflakes or flowers. A sunflower is a perfect example of a natural mandala. It has a center surrounded by layers of petals radiating out from the middle. Although mandalas were first used for religious purposes, they sometimes are used for their healing and positive effects. People dealing with stress sometimes buy “adult” coloring books of mandalas to help themselves relax. You can design your own mandala using symbols and colors that are meaningful to you. Materials: • Fabric…