Day 8 - The Magar Nationality
Widely-spread throughout Nepal and North India
| Population: |
Language: |
Religion: |
| 500,000 |
Magar Kura |
Hinduism |
The Magars are one of the oldest known tribes of Nepal, but their origin is not yet known. They are believed to be of Tibetan descent because their language and dances seem to be mixed with different forms of the Tibetan culture. Two of their most famous dances are called Jahabre (mostly for young people) and Natsan (only the men dance).
Most Magars are craftsmen or agriculturalists. They eat rice and com, as well as water buffalo and pork. A typical Magar man wears a loin cloth and a bhoto (shirt), while the woman wears a dhote (skirt) with the front part being shorter than the back. The women also wear a flower-like ornament in the middle part of their cars and a necklace made of glass beads and silver coins.
Traditionally, the Magars were Animists, but due to the influence of the Brahmin Hindus over time, the Magars have been Hinduised to one degree or another. They worship the Hindu Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva) and celebrate all the Hindu festivals. In many Magar villages they offer a lamb sacrifice to the "Great White Serpent" once a year.
The vast majority of Magars have little or no concept of who God is and have never even heard the name of Jesus. They are highly protective of their cultural and religious identity and resistant to change. However, they are often interested when the gospel is shared personally (one on one) and most of them do not outwardly persecute Christians or new believers.
Key Prayer Points:
- Pray against the poverty mentality and greed that is quite strong in this group.
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- Women are uneducated and looked down upon. Pray for God to give the women a new sense of worth and for the men to see the value of women in their society.
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- They are afraid of the Hindu gods and of going against the tradition of their ancestors. They believe that if they don't do the Hindu rituals, their dead ancestors will be punished. They are also afraid that terrible curses will be put on them if they become a Christian. Pray for God to release them from all of their fears and false superstitions
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