Source: www.boiseweekly.com
BOISE, IDAHO, October 5, 2009: Bhutanese refugees in different corners of the United States of America celebrated one of their greatest festivals, Dashain, last week, with great happiness and rejoicing.
Bhuwani Koirala, a Hindu priest in Boise said in Nepali, ” I was worried about conserving my religion, rituals and practices in America. While in Nepal, I used to think I wouldn’t get chance to perform my rituals and festivals in the USA. Our new generation in the USA will not know anything about Hinduism. Actually I was wrong. I haven’t thought that we would have this big volume of Hindus celebrating festival together.”
Laxman Bastola, 86, one of the oldest Hindus in the Bhutanese community who has been in Boise since 2008 said, also in Nepali, ” I haven’t thought that I would celebrate festival in such a grand way.” He lives with his sister-in-law and her family. His grandsons and daughters came home from different states for the festivals. They shared good foods, spent good time together and enjoyed the festival by receiving and giving blessings to each other.