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Food for the Soul
During Dasain, the Nepalese equivalent of Christmas, Thanksgiving & Easter
in one, the poorest struggle to scrape together enough money to buy a
small animal for a spiritual feast. But with meat an expensive, luxury
item, it proves very difficult for families who mostly survive on rice and
lentil gruel. Beyond the obvious malnourishment, individuals lose their
dignity when they lose the ability to celebrate spiritually. Could we
imagine a mass without communion? Or breaking the fast of Eid without a
feast? (Jewish equivalent?)
The community of the poor, mostly comprised of low caste Dalits, kamiya
bonded laborers, and landless subsistence farming families are brought
together on the seventh day of the Dasain festival, dedicated to making a
spiritual offering to the embodiment of God's destructive side, essential
to the cycle of life. HOPE gifts a number of large water buffalos,
and in a festive atmosphere, everyone communally celebrates. Each family
returns home with an abundance of fresh meat, along with parcels of rice,
oil and spices to create a feast, enough for days. Many will smoke the
extra meat to preserve it, providing additional protein in their poor
diets.
This past year, our Food for the Soul program helped 57 families in
one village alone celebrate without worry for the first time.
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