The monsoon in Nepal: the long-awaited and dreaded phenomenon

Contrary to our country, summer is not the most recommended season for sightseeing in Nepal. The reason: the monsoons of Southeast Asia, this phenomenon of heavy rains -the most important on the planet- so much awaited and so much feared!

In Nepal, the summer monsoon starts in June and lasts until September. This event is due to a too intense difference between the temperatures of the soil and the Indian Ocean. This is then compensated for by the creation of moisture-laden air that blows from the ocean towards the land and producing these torrential rains.

Every summer, the monsoon is eagerly awaited as it will condition the quality and quantity of crops, mainly rice and cotton. It’s therefore no coincidence that at the beginning of this period, the Nepalese are seen cultivating in the hillside terraced rice fields or in other vast green landscapes. The summer monsoons feed the Himalayan glaciers, which in turn feed meltwater into the large rivers, including the famous ... Indian Ganges. 

Prayers, rites and invocation hymns accompany the 4 months of monsoon to implore abundant crops and protection for the population from large floods and landslides... Every year, dozens of Nepalese perish during the monsoon. The Indra Jatra festival marks the end of this difficult and worrying period. It's celebrated during 8 days with songs, dances and rituals with traditional costumes and masks. An unforgettable symbolic moment!

The monsoon period is the least suitable for tourism but the most suitable for making our bags and accessories in 100% natural hemp. Even though hemp is one of the most water-efficient crops, it still takes advantage of the monsoon for its water needs. Between October and November, taking advantage of the dry season, it's sorted, dried, cleaned, woven and transported to the workshops of our partners in Kathmandu.

The torrential rains reappear and it's now the ideal period for working indoors: spinning, weaving, dyeing, patronage, cutting ... Our workshops are bubbling, we´re working together to develop the last patterns, the weavers coordinate feet and hands and create the fabrics, each activity follows one another, all of them with traditional techniques and without electricity (for the machines) ... A very exciting period we always look forward to experience before the launch of the new collection.