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Taking care of your hair and nails is very common nowadays. We can see many salons, manicure and pedicure shops around us. Women often visit these shops to take care of their hair and nails, decorating with different colors and patterns. However, cutting nails and hair in the Newar community (one of the castes in Nepal) is very different from regular nail and haircutting and has its own cultural significance.

As we can see in the picture, in Newar communities, the traditional occupation of the nau and nauni is to cut the hair and nails of higher caste Newars. A nau is a man who cuts the hair, and a nauni is a woman who cuts the nails, especially the nails of the feet. Before diving into its cultural meaning, let us know the history behind the nau and nauni.
During the reign of King Jayastithi Malla (the eleventh Malla king of Nepal, reigning from 1382 to 1395), it is said that he divided Newars into different sub-castes and ranked each caste according to their occupation. Sub-castes were divided into high, medium, and low castes. The nau and nauni were categorized as low caste because their occupation was to cut the hair and nails of higher caste people.

In Newar culture, during special ceremonies or festivals or any rites of passage, people must be clean from head to toe before they start the ritual. They must take a bath, change into clean clothes, and cut their nails. Long and dirty nails were considered impure. Therefore, the nauni must cut the nails of everyone, from small children to the elderly, to ensure that higher cast members are pure for the rituals. Newars hire their nauni, and the latter agrees to cut the nails of their family. So, the nauni visits every two to three weeks or whenever called for festivals, rituals, or ceremonies. Therefore, each family or community has its own nauni.


Traditional Method of cutting nails

Nauni carries Chalan-cha, Ala, a brush, and a piece of wood with her whenever she goes to cut nails. First, Nauni puts the foot of the person whose nail is to be cut on the wood so that he/she feels easy and relaxed. And then Nauni uses water to make feet wet and uses Chalan-cha, an iron-blade nail cutter to clean, trim and shape the nail. After cleaning and cutting all nails, Nauni uses a handmade brush to put Ala. Ala, a red pigment color is used to décor the feet of girls, which is a sign of clean feet as well as a symbol of married women or girls yet to get married. Widows are not allowed to use Ala on their feet.

After cutting the nail, Nauni doesn't take money, but they prefer rice, grains, corn, and wheat instead of money. So, all communities give Nauni all the crops and vegetables that they harvested that month of the year.


The nauni carries chalan-cha, ala, a brush, and a piece of wood. First, the nauni puts the person’s foot on the wood to induce relaxation. And then the nauni wets feet and uses chalan-cha, an iron-blade nail cutter to clean, trim, and shape the nails. After cleaning and cutting all nails, the nauni uses a handmade brush to put on ala, a red pigment is used decorate girls’ feet as a sign of clean feet as well as a symbol of married women or girls yet to get married. Widows are not allowed to have ala on their feet.

After cutting the nail, the nauni doesn't take money, preferring rice, grains, corn, and wheat instead. So, all communities give the nauni crops and vegetables harvested during that month of the year.

The nau, a male barber is called only if someone in a home needs a haircut, especially when someone passes away. Among Newar communities, in every ritual, male relatives of the dead person have to shave their hair and eyebrows. And they are not allowed to look in the mirror for seven days. So, the nau comes and shaves the men’s hair and eyebrows and helps them prepare for the funeral rituals. On the final day of mourning, the nauni cleanses the whole family by cutting the nails of all members and showing them the mirror, allowing them to move forward and leave the past behind. More than cutting hair and nails, the nau and nauni are known for massages and are experts on relieving leg sprains. People believe that if the nau and nauni touch their feet then they will be relieved from the pain.

Cutting hair and nails in the caste structure started before beauticians were common. And to date, the nau and nauni still visit place to place to cut hair and nails. But with changes in society, lack of time, and the existence of barber shops, the nau and nauni are not being used as much as in the past. Today, the nau and nauni are called only for special rituals at home. Moreover, the new generation nau and nauni are not interested in cutting hair and nails because it is neither well-paid nor a reputable job.

Finally, we can see that cultures and practices like these have their own significance, but these cultures should never be misused by discriminating against other people. Culture is only cherished when all people are equally happy with it.