Day 9 - The Rai Nationality 

Mostly found in the eastern development region of Nepal

The Rais have Mongoloid features and claim that their origin is from Marema (the daughter of the earth) and Kirant Mahadeva (a roamer in the jungle). There are as many classes of the Rais as there are families, but the four most prominent are: Thulung, Bantawa, Chyamlung, and Kulung. 

The Rais are known for their short-tempers, but are also known as lovers of peace. They love art and music as well as feasting where they eat pork and freely drink locally made alcohol. Their main occupation is agriculture, but it is also common to make and sell local alcohol as a source of income. Their staple foods are rice, maize, and potatoes. Many of the Rai groups do not raise or eat goat meat. They believe to do so will anger the gods and make them impure as well as bring sickness and death. 

The Rais follow a set of rules for ancestral spirit worship called Mundum. Their exact religious practices vary from group to group within the Rais, but they adhere to most of the major Hindu practices and festivals. The pujhari or priest plays an important role in their communities. 

Most Rais have heard the name of Jesus, and many have begun to understand the basic gospel message. Perhaps up to 50% have been exposed to the gospel in some form. This group will generally allow people to hold open air meetings and to share the gospel publicly. They are very interested and ask questions when the gospel is presented and have a desire to hear more. There has been a dramatic change in their level of receptivity over the past four or five years.

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