True to Ancient Belief, Nepalese Shed Blood to Protect Fleet of Jets From Bloodshed

The ancient Nepalese belief that spilled blood can be a blessing is taken for granted here in the Himalayas in 1986--by taxi drivers, soldiers, housewives, farmers, blacksmiths and pilots of Boeing 727s.

“We sprinkled fresh blood on the wheels of the aircraft to make sure that it has its share of blood and will not have any accident and seek human blood,” said Rama Bahadur Thapa, a security guard for Royal Nepal Airlines, the national carrier.

Annual Ritual

Every year, for 27 years since its founding, the airline has consecrated each of its aircraft by sacrificing a goat to Durga, the Hindu goddess of destruction. The offering is said to bring good luck.

Thapa, 55, recently took part in a sacrifice during the annual autumn “Dasain” Festival as a means of protecting the plane and its future passengers. The entire fleet, including three 727s, are so protected.

In Nepal, the world’s only Hindu kingdom, almost everything is sanctified with blood during the festival in which worshipers call on Durga for protection against their enemies.

Soldiers ask blessing for their weapons, artisans for their tools, housewives for their homes, even drivers for their taxis.

Annual Quota of Blood

Cab driver Mukti Man Maharjan explained why he smeared his Toyota with blood. “I am actually avoiding accidents for the whole year because the vehicle has received its required quota of fresh blood and it will not seek any more in a crash,” he said.

Although this seems like a grisly business, most Nepalese regard it matter-of-factly and Hindu priests say it has its origins in religious tradition.

Only five species are sacrificed, each chosen because it represents “an undesirable human quality,” he said. The buffalo represents anger, the goat lust, the sheep stupidity, the rooster timidity and the duck apathy.

Reincarnation Cycle

Hindus believe the animals were humans in a previous life in an eternal cycle of reincarnation. They say that previous misdeeds and sins condemned them to be animals or birds in the present existence.

This year more than 5,000 animals were sacrificed, including some imported from Tibet or India because of shortages in the Himalayan mountain kingdom.

Many families bless their homes with the blood of ducks, then serve the birds for a holiday meal. The practice is such a part of life here that some merchants even take advantage of the season by hiking prices on sacrificial birds.

There are alternatives for those who do not approve of blood. Goddess Durga is said to accept sacrifice of eggs, pumpkins and radishes too.