Nepalis discover the joy of Christmas by giving to the poor

(Dec.12, 2012) Nepal is getting ready to celebrate Christmas again. Although the country is largely Hindu, Nepalis can now mark this occasion, since the authorities added the most important Christian celebration to the list of national festivities two years ago. In addition to the traditional seasonal decorations in homes, stores and hotels, this year has seen a number of charitable initiatives that recapture the real religious spirit of Christmas. In the capital city of Kathmandu, the UN has put up a crafts fair to help marginalised women. Robert Piper, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nepal, inaugurated a Christmas Fair at the start of December in cooperation with Nepal’s Fair Trade Group (FTG), to raise funds for the country's poorest families. The main scope of the fair is to provide opportunities to marginalised and underprivileged women producers to exhibit their skills in craftworks. Nepal’s FTG chairman, Kiran Khadgi said that most of the products are related to Christmas, and are made by Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. He said it is proving to be a success, not only among Christians (1.5 per cent of the population) but also among Hindus and Buddhists. “With our small exhibit, we try to encourage people to celebrate an occurrence aware of its real value because even a small gift to the poor, helps the whole of humanity," he added.