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A three-year-old girl is now a new living goddess in Nepal. At a recent religious ceremony, the new Kumari or living goddess was carried from her parents' home to an ancient palatial1 temple in the heart of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu where she'll live until she reaches puberty and loses her divine status.
Matina Shakya received approval from the priests and president in a centuries-old tradition with deep ties to Nepal's monarchy2 which was abolished in May.
A panel of judges conducted/ a series of ancient ceremonies to select the goddess from several girls who are all members of the impoverished3 Shakya goldsmith caste. The judges read the candidates' horoscopes, checked each one for physical imperfections, and ensured the candidate was not afraid of the dark. As a final test, the living goddess spent a night alone in a room among the heads of ritually slaughtered4 goats and buffaloes5 without showing fear.
The child will live in almost complete isolation6 at the temple, and can return to her family only at the onset7 of menstruation when a new goddess will be named.
Tradition says the Kumari may leave her new home only for festivals a few times a year.
"Getting our daughter selected as the Kumari is a happy moment for us, and also a proud moment, as she is revered8 as the powerful goddess in our society. But at the same time, I feel sad that our daughter will have to live separately from us."
Matina replaces 12-year-old Preeti Shakya, who has now returned to her family home.
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1 palatial | |
adj.宫殿般的,宏伟的 | |
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2 monarchy | |
n.君主,最高统治者;君主政体,君主国 | |
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3 impoverished | |
adj.穷困的,无力的,用尽了的v.使(某人)贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 );使(某物)贫瘠或恶化 | |
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4 slaughtered | |
v.屠杀,杀戮,屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5 buffaloes | |
n.水牛(分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种)( buffalo的名词复数 );(南非或北美的)野牛;威胁;恐吓 | |
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6 isolation | |
n.隔离,孤立,分解,分离 | |
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7 onset | |
n.进攻,袭击,开始,突然开始 | |
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8 revered | |
v.崇敬,尊崇,敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9 monsoon | |
n.季雨,季风,大雨 | |
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