On Saturday Jack and I joined a good friend on a morning adventure to a local village that has a goat market every weekend. Visiting local Indian villages is one of my favourite things to do and I hadn't been to a goat market, so was keen to check it out. Jack and I don't get a lot of 'son-mum' time together, so this was something we were keen to do together.
On the way out there we came across a massive tree with over 15 beehives in it. They were massive and the bees were EVERYWHERE !! I have no idea why so many hives were in the one tree - I have never seen anything like that before. I have seen an indian man climb a tree and wave a burning piece of paper at the hive to 'scare/agitate' the bees and he then grabs the hive and drains the honey into buckets on the side of the road. The queues are long for fresh honey in India!
Arriving at the goat market and the hustle and bustle of goat trading was quite the sight. There were lots of heated debates along with a load of crying from hundreds of goats. We were quite the spectacle - 3 white ladies and 9 year old boy...... everyone wanted to say Hi and to have their photos taken. We wandered through, held some baby goats, 'chatted' with farmers about their breeds (not understanding anything!!)
The Hindu Temple at the back of the market has a side building where the many local Hindus come to shave their heads before visiting the temple and offering the shaved hair. Seeing the little children having their heads shaved was quite special for us. There were 2 one year olds there for their 'first shaving' and many men and teenage boys. The beliefs behind head shaving in Hindu religion is as follows:
1. The Cycle of Birth: when a child turns one, their heads are shaved and this is supposed to release them from the prior life. The hair is used as an offering in the temple and the shaving is considered a rite of passage.
2. Having hair is seen as a sign of pride and arrogance, and by shaving it off, Hindus believe they are getting closer to God. This is why it is done as part of the mourning process when a loved one passes.
3. Part of Mannat - if a promise requested of God is fulfilled, the Hindus believe that they have to thank them by shaving the hair off and offering them in the temple.
It was fascinating to see this happen as part of everyday life.
The goat market also has a fruit and vegetable section, as well as dried fish products and other snacks. We wandered through and found a fe more fun little trinkets to add to our shipping container.
After we'd finished, we were lucky enough to drop in to a local pottery place. It is two men who make pots all day every day, all by hand. The smoke and soot was so intense and the dark crowded shed was filled with pots. The older guy was very keen to show us the process, and Jack loves to watch the men at work. He made about 5 pots while we were there and he was so proud of his work. These men make hundreds of pots each week and they sell for less than $1.50 each. They were very impressive gentlemen.
I love the 'back to basics' trips I can do here in India - the village life is like nothing I will ever see again.
On the way out there we came across a massive tree with over 15 beehives in it. They were massive and the bees were EVERYWHERE !! I have no idea why so many hives were in the one tree - I have never seen anything like that before. I have seen an indian man climb a tree and wave a burning piece of paper at the hive to 'scare/agitate' the bees and he then grabs the hive and drains the honey into buckets on the side of the road. The queues are long for fresh honey in India!
Arriving at the goat market and the hustle and bustle of goat trading was quite the sight. There were lots of heated debates along with a load of crying from hundreds of goats. We were quite the spectacle - 3 white ladies and 9 year old boy...... everyone wanted to say Hi and to have their photos taken. We wandered through, held some baby goats, 'chatted' with farmers about their breeds (not understanding anything!!)
The Hindu Temple at the back of the market has a side building where the many local Hindus come to shave their heads before visiting the temple and offering the shaved hair. Seeing the little children having their heads shaved was quite special for us. There were 2 one year olds there for their 'first shaving' and many men and teenage boys. The beliefs behind head shaving in Hindu religion is as follows:
1. The Cycle of Birth: when a child turns one, their heads are shaved and this is supposed to release them from the prior life. The hair is used as an offering in the temple and the shaving is considered a rite of passage.
2. Having hair is seen as a sign of pride and arrogance, and by shaving it off, Hindus believe they are getting closer to God. This is why it is done as part of the mourning process when a loved one passes.
3. Part of Mannat - if a promise requested of God is fulfilled, the Hindus believe that they have to thank them by shaving the hair off and offering them in the temple.
It was fascinating to see this happen as part of everyday life.
The goat market also has a fruit and vegetable section, as well as dried fish products and other snacks. We wandered through and found a fe more fun little trinkets to add to our shipping container.
After we'd finished, we were lucky enough to drop in to a local pottery place. It is two men who make pots all day every day, all by hand. The smoke and soot was so intense and the dark crowded shed was filled with pots. The older guy was very keen to show us the process, and Jack loves to watch the men at work. He made about 5 pots while we were there and he was so proud of his work. These men make hundreds of pots each week and they sell for less than $1.50 each. They were very impressive gentlemen.
I love the 'back to basics' trips I can do here in India - the village life is like nothing I will ever see again.
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| The bee hives |
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| Monkeys everywhere stealing fruit and vegetables from the market |
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| Dinner on the run ! |
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| What a pretty face ! |
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| So proud of his purchases ! |
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| What big ears you have ?! |
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| Too cute - there were only a few babies but they are so adorable |
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| This was a very heated discussion about goats........ I watched for ages as they got more and more angry at each other. |
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| One man's herd. |
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| Such a funny face - all different types of goats were for sale. |
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| I loved this guy |
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| a hindu baby after having his head shaved for the first time |
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| At 1 year old all babies have their heads shaved and the hair taken to the temple as an offering |
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| this little bub was SCREAMING ! |
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| He was so so happy and then..... |
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| They started shaving and the tears came. |
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| This is standard transportation - or the back seat of a rickshaw |
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| I wasn't sure if he was blind or not but he stared at me for ages ! |
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| Lots and lots of roosters and hens |
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| All tethered ready for sale |
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| A cock fight - this bad boy was tied to a pushbike and pulled it completely over ! |
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| Dried beets |
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| Dried fish - wow, the smell was INTENSE ! |
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| Am going to miss my chilli |
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| More fish..... |
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| Lentils |
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| It is nearly Holi time again - the coloured powders are appearing everywhere |
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| Jalebi - its a deep fried batter which is then soaked in syrup ! |
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| I love the organisation of their veggies |
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| Local kiln where they make pots |
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| he was very happy to be the centre of attention |
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| All made by hand |
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| The pottery barn ! |
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