Culture

In Tharu’s Society, both men and women have the equal social status. Some families are run by male leadership and some are by female leadreship. Therefore, there is not much gender discrimination among the Tharu people. Tharu people have their own lands registered and pass those lands down to generations such as their sons or grandsons, ut not to their daughters specially. In Tharu community, there is culture of respecting the eldest person among the clan, especially during a festival period. People go to meet the person to offer some liquor, alcohol, meat and other items.

It is also common in their culture for decisions to be made according to counsel from the head leadership in the village. For people who come from outside for the development of their community, they provide good hospitality, food and room to stay according to Tharu  culture because most of the Tharu s people have a big house and some of them have even two or three floor houses. Their culture also includes helping each other when necessary. They provide volunteering service for any community development project such as roads, school, sanitation, etc. When someone in community became sick, then they voluntarily help to carry the sick person to hospitals or call ambulance for sick even some help him/her financially as well.

They have good understanding and relationship with other people groups outside their community and live in harmony, also exchanging the help with other communities in any case of need. In Tharu community, if someone needs to be punished, they make the decision by majority, but the decision is announced by the head of village or leader.

Tharu people speak both their own language and Nepali in their community. These days they speak Hindi, Maithali, Bhojpuri or English too. Previously they had custom of parents teaching their kids, but it was not carried out systematically. For education, they had not good management but they call teacher in their own home to learn. Also for any normal sickness like fever, common cold, diarrhea, headache, etc, they used to treat them with homemade herb medicines and also shown to witchdoctor because they have believe in witchdoctor.  This system is even exiting in some region till these days especially in rural place. But in some region they use modern medicine.