ABSTRACT
The Newars are the original inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. Their present population is about 400,000. Until 1768 they held political power which they lost when the Malla kingdoms were conquered by the Shah dynasty of Gorkha. The status of Newar women differs from that of other Hindu women such as the Chetrini or Brahmins. Crucially, Newar widows may remarry and widowhood does not involve loss of status in their society. During the annual celebration of the lineage festival girls who have celebrated ihi in the course of the past year must offer the bel fruit to the lineage divinity. The author saw this ceremony at Bhaktapur in 1975 when it was celebrated by the potters during their lineage festival. The ritual marriage to Visnu Narayana is the only domestic ceremony in which members of different castes mingle. The initiation ritual carried out for boys between three and seven years of age is done for each boy individually.
