PEOPLE

The people of Sikkim are warm, simple and friendly. The custom and rituals of Sikkim are diverse as the ethnic group. The population mainly consists of Lepcha, Bhutia and Nepalese including the plainsmen from India and refugees from Tibet. Sikkimese in the majority speaks Nepali but Hindi, English and other languages like Lepcha, Bhutia, Tibetian, Limbu, Rai, and Newar are also prevalent. The best features of Sikkimese people are the tolerance and acceptance of the different culture and peaceful co-existence. People of Sikkim love to get together and celebrate every festival in Sikkim with joy and happiness, with such a large variety of culture and tradition there has been no apparent social tension with any of the group. Sikkimeses are proud of their heritage. Within few decades crosspollination has been aerating the distinctive Sikkimese ethos especially between Lepcha, Bhutia and even between Nepalese. More and more than half the population of Sikkimese people lives in village and earns their living by the means of agriculture, trade; farming etc. most of the population is widely spread in the valleys of Teesta and Rangit.



The Lepcha

The original inhabitants of Sikkim are the Lepchas. They existed here much before the Bhutias and Nepalese migrated to the State. It has not yet been established from where the Lepchas originally came to Sikkim.Most of the Lepchas are now predominantly Buddhists but many of them have cnverted into Christians. Before adopting Buddhism or Christianity as their religion, the earliest Lepcha settlers were believers in the Bon faith. This faith was basically based on spirits, good and bad. Witchcraft and exorcism were very common. They worshipped spirits of mountains, rivers and forests which was but natural for a tribe that co-existed so harmoniously with the rich natural surroundings. One major festival of the Lepchas is the Namsoong is the week long mela or fair held at Namprikdam at the confluence of Teesta and Tolung-chu near Mangan in North Sikkim. The Lepcha priests are know as "Bomthing" and they perform intricate ceremonies to invoke the blessings of the spirits.The Lepcha population is concentrated in the central part of Sikkim. They mostly live on agriculture of paddy, cardamom and oranges. Life in a Lepcha house is very simple. Lepcha hut are usually made of bamboo usually just a couple of rooms.Lepchas are very good in archery. Hunting of wild animals using bows and arrows and fishing are favorite pastimes of the Lepchas.

The Bhutia

The Bhutias are people of Tibetan origin, who migrated to Sikkim after the 15th century. They migrated through the different passes in the Himalayas, They are also known as Denzongpas (the people of Denzong), Bhutias are mostly settled in the Northern parts of Sikkim, where they are the major inhabitants, where they are known as the Lachenpas and Lachungpas (People who are settled in Lachen and Lachung). The Bhutias or the Sikkimese is in fact a dialect of Tibetan Language & the script is also the same. Bhutias constitute about ten percent of the total population of Sikkim. Bhutia villages are large as those compared to those of Lepchas. Bhutias are mostly Buddhists by religion and before one child from every Bhutia family used to go to monastery to become a lama or a monk. Still today few Bhutia families follow this tradition. Bhutias celebrates Loosong, which is celebrated on end of the harvest season. The whole family on this day stays at home and enjoys the meal together which includes drinking of "Chang" or the Millet beer.

 The Nepali

They entered from Nepal in large numbers in the middle of the nineteenth century and soon became the dominant community considerably outnumbering the Lepchas and the Bhutias. The Nepalese now constitute more than 80% of the total population of Sikkim.A major sub-cultural Nepalese are the Kiratis who along with the Lepchas are said to be the aboriginals of Sikkim. The Kiratis include Limbus, Rais, Mangars, Gurungs, Tamangs and some others as well. Originally most of them were hunters and shepherds and semi nomadic. Each Kiratis sect has a dialect of its own. Some of the tribes of the Kiratis are animists (attributing the soul to non-living things like mountains), whereas the others are either Hindus or Buddhists. Another community of the Nepalis are the Pradhan or Newars started settling in Sikkim from the middle of the nineteenth century. With the Newars, came the service-caste of the Nepalis such as the miners (Mangars), black-smiths (Kamis), tailors (Damais) and cobblers (Karkis). The priests or pundits of the Nepalis are the Sharmas. Another warrior class of the Nepalese or the Gurkhas was the Basnets, Thakuris and the Chettris also settled in Sikkim in large numbers.The language spoken by Nepalese is understood all over by the state. This language is similar to Hindi and uses the Devanagri script. Nepalese celebrate Dasai fstival celebrated on the occasion of victory of Good over Evil and also Diwali festival of light. Bhai tika or Bhai Duj is celebrated on the third day of Diwali where the sisters put tika on the forehead of brother, it is the celebration of brother and sister, and on this day the brothe gives some gift to his sister as a blessing.