The Eight Most Widely Rejoiced New Years of Nepal

All throughout the globe and its many cultures, folks have been preserving monitor of Earth’s revolutions across the Solar, and have celebrated every in their very own time and method. Moreover, for the sake of timekeeping, the New 12 months is a celebration of life, renewal, and hope. With many individuals taking on New 12 months as an event to hit the reset button, discover new resolutions, and switch into the folks they’ve all the time envisioned themselves to be, The folks of Nepal are fortunate sufficient to have eight such events inside one year!

In Nepal, the place the tradition of others is revered as a lot as your personal, one yr whispers its farewell, and one other steps into the limelight, time after time, as every of the many individuals rejoice their New 12 months. And in case you are not celebrating your self, then, you might be absolutely reveling within the magnificence and pleasure of others, because the custodians of their historic rites come alive as they rejoice the passage of time.

Whereas the numerous faces of Nepal could also be hiding different celebrations of time, listed here are the eight most generally rejoiced New 12 months of Nepal, starting with the all too acquainted, Gregorian New 12 months.

Gregorian New 12 months – 1 January 2024

Because the western world celebrates the passage of 1 yr to the opposite, the folks of Nepal are joyful to take up an event like some other to get collectively and have enjoyable. Whereas celebrating the Gregorian New 12 months isn’t embedded within the Nepali tradition, a brand new phenomenon amongst the youth and expat group has emerged in the previous couple of a long time. Kathmandu and Pokhara take the middle stage as road events and reside music happen. The touristic heart of Kathmandu, Thamel, affords a variety of leisure, from mellow occasions to trance and techno events. The identical may be mentioned for Pokhara Lakeside. Like anyplace else, this New 12 months in Nepal can be crammed with hope and backbone.

Maghi – 15 January 2024

In January’s chill, Nepal welcomes the Maghe Sankranti competition as this a part of the earth spins in direction of hotter days. Maghe Sankranti emerges as a transitional part—Tharu farmers full their fieldwork, the cruel chilly turns into extra light underneath a warming Solar, and festivities blossom each within the flatlands and the mountains. Hindu devotees collect by holy rivers, sharing feasts laden with yams, candy potatoes, Khichadi (a soupy rice and lentils dish), and Chaku (concentrated sugarcane juice, jaggery, ghee, and nuts), nourishing not simply the physique but in addition the bonds of household and group.

Households collect on the primary day of the month of Magh, celebrating a New 12 months that brings forth a brand new season. The celebration isn’t confined to a single area, it reverberates inside a number of ethnic teams throughout the nation as an ode to the Solar god and the timeless knowledge he embodies. As an attention-grabbing aspect notice, the Newars of Kathmandu don’t mark today as their New 12 months, however they nonetheless rejoice and eat the celebratory dishes. They name today Gheu Chaku Sallhu, and the particular meals may be present in Kathmandu too.

Maghi for Tharu Folks

Beneath the broad umbrella of Maghe Sankranti, a smaller story unfolds because the Tharu group celebrates Maghi for a complete week. Clad of their conventional apparel, they revel within the fruits of their labour in a harvest competition dancing to the rhythms that echo these of their toiling within the fields. The Tharus of Nuwakot rejoice like no different – a bullfighting competition, a wild manifestation of primal power, a celebration that each one throughout Nepal, is exclusive to them.

Maghi For Magar and Kirant Folks

Magar folks comply with the Naagchi Sambat calendar. From the center of Kathmandu to the farthest reaches of Nepal, vibrant gatherings of Magar folks convey to life their tradition with a contagious kind of delight. Married daughters and their households are usually not mere friends; they’re revered members, the point of interest of worship and joyous actions. The air is saturated with the fragrant symphony of yams, candy potatoes, selroti, and til laddus.

The Kirant group—comprising Rai, Limbu, and Sunuwar—defines Maghe Sankranti because the inaugural day of the Yele Sambat calendar. The Rai group typically refers to today as Yele Dong. 

Because the Kirant folks bid farewell to Ubhauli (celebration of the start of the farming season, and Udhauli (celebration to thank Mom Nature for a great harvest throughout the farming season) and embrace), the rhythm of their downward migration commences, a collective response to the approaching harshness of winter. Amidst it, the ban tarul, a yam species intertwined with their sacred Mundhum scripture, steps into the limelight. In a ritual echoing historic resilience, a tika crafted from ban tarul adorns foreheads, a tangible connection to a previous the place this humble yam sustained them by shortage. Cloaked within the regalia of their heritage, the Kirant folks dance to their historic melody, indulging in a feast that serves as a testomony to the endurance and continuity of their group. 

Sonam Lhosar – 10 February 2024

Because the second new moon graces the winter sky, a quiet revolution unfolds within the Tamang calendar, honouring a brand new chapter of their life – Sonam Lhosar. 

The Tamang folks acknowledge the interconnectedness of all parts of life as they hint the steps of the Damphu dance, and the Selo, a melody that has been handed on by the generations, carries on the echo of their ancestors’ voices. The Tamang group, scattered internationally, gathers in collective homage to their gods, uniting within the mesmerising swirl of their dance, because it mimics the undulating hills that cradle their properties.

Gyalpo Lhosar – 11 March 2024

Gyalpo Losar, the Sherpa New 12 months, attracts its essence from Lo, the heartbeat of the yr, and Sar, the tender sigh of the brand new. Via the winding valleys of Nepal and Tibet, Lhosar resonates a symphony of custom echoing by the ages.

The perfume of khapse, a deep-fried pastry, heralds in Gyalpo Losar. Two days previous to the primary day of celebration, households unite round bowls of gutung, a soup of 9 totally different beans. Then, they indulge of their conventional dumplings, with a playful twist in them, as they cover treasures akin to wooden, salt, and even coal, every a mirrored image of the spirits they select. In the course of the Eve of Lhosar, Sherpa folks paint properties anew, a canvas cleansed and adorned, whereas the stroke of midnight unveils their greeting Tashi Delek.  With the daybreak, properties breathe anew—the altering of dhoja, prayer flags fluttering like whispers of hope. On the coronary heart of the celebration, Changkol flows—a libation crafted from the essence of chaang, a Tibetan beer. Amidst laughter and the strains of ancestral songs, the Sherpa sway to the rhythm of a brand new starting. 

Nepali New 12 months (Bikram Sambat) – 13 April 2024

The arrival of Navavarsha, the Nepali New 12 months happens as the primary rays of the April solar gently contact the terraced fields of the Nepali hills. Households and pals come collectively, their laughter a melody within the foothills of the Himalayas. Picnics sprawl beneath blossoming bushes and the air is crammed with the aroma of shared meals. Within the quiet morning hours, like pilgrims on a timeless journey, the folks of Nepal embark on a sacred pilgrimage to temples.

But, the heartbeat of Navavarsha isn’t confined to sacred areas alone. Within the coronary heart of Bhaktapur, Bisket Jatra, the Competition of Bisket, paints the city sq. with vibrant colors. A silent wood sentinel rises, a sentinel to historic battles, whereas deities stand sentinel on chariots, accepting choices that carry the load of custom and a contact of solemnity. The streets develop into a stage for a tug-of-war, a dance of power and unity, the place the winner, it’s mentioned, is destined for a yr of wonders.

Al Hijri – 6-7 July 2024

The Islamic New 12 months, often known as the Hijra (or, Al Hijri), speaks of the story of the Muslims of Nepal, a small however outstanding group that’s predominantly current within the Terai area, but in addition exists in the remainder of Nepal. A little bit identified truth is that the Muslims of the Kathmandu valley, who’re midst the oldest group to have settled in Nepal, have, by the centuries, assimilated with the indigenous Newari folks, all of the whereas retaining their faith. With nearly all of Nepali Muslims being Sunni, Al Hijri along with their household from the night of the sixth of July to the morning of the seventh of July.

Nhu Dan (Nepal Sambat) – 2 November 2024

The Newa group ushers in a sacred second often known as Nhu Dan. This celebration of a brand new yr is rooted within the lunar Nepal Sambat calendar. Within the coronary heart of this cultural celebration lies Mha Puja, a celebration the place the self turns into the altar, and choices are made to at least one’s existence. 

Centuries in the past, the visionary Shankhadhar Sakhwa, underneath the Lichhavi dynasty’s reign, birthed Nepal Sambat, liberating the oppressed from the shackles of debt. Mha Puja stands as a tribute to self-respect on the Newari New 12 months. So, on the fourth day of Tihar, because the Newa folks don their ancestral apparel, they set on a spirited rally by the cobbled streets, celebrating the genesis of a cultural cosmos, reminiscing the good day of October 20, 879 AD when Shankhadhar Sakhwa did what he did. 

In New 12 months celebrations etched throughout Nepal, the place the traditional converges with the up to date, we embark not solely on the journey of a altering yr however on a deeper odyssey—one in every of self-discovery and communal rejuvenation. Roaming by the terrains of Nhu Dan, the colourful revelries of Tamu Lhosar, and the resonances of Bikram Sambat, we witness the resilience of a nation rooted in traditions cultivated over centuries.

Tamu Lhosar – 31 December 2024

On the fifteenth of Poush, the Gurungs emerge draped within the hues of custom. Tamu Lhosar is a celebration draped within the colors of shamanistic rituals and the light cadence of Buddhism. Within the moonlit nights and the promise of hotter days, Tamu Lhosar, like many different New 12 months celebrations, is about hope and renewal.

The forthcoming yr, 2024 A.D., unfurls its wings because the yr of the Garud, gracefully directing in change and bidding a fond farewell to the feline glory of the departing yr.  In embracing modernity, the heartbeat of Tamu Lhosar resounds within the gatherings of households, within the incense-lit corridors of monasteries, and within the flutter of vibrant prayer flags that chase away the shadows of days passed by. Every fifteenth of Poush is not only a turning of a calendar web page however a testomony to the enduring reference to custom and the perennial dance of the New 12 months. Because the Gurungs step into the light glow of a brand new starting, their story turns into intertwined with the very cloth of time, a story whispered by the winds which have witnessed centuries unfold.

L.M. Montgomery as soon as mentioned, “Isn’t it good to assume that tomorrow is a brand new day with no errors in it but?” This sentiment encapsulates the very coronary heart of every New 12 months celebration in Nepal. Past the festive veneer and cultural splendour, lies an intimate invitation to rejoice the boundless potential of a pristine tomorrow, unburdened by the shadows of yesteryears. All in all, because the echoes of New 12 months celebrations linger within the mountain air and echo by the valleys, allow us to carry ahead the enduring classes of resilience, unity, and steadfast perception in the fantastic thing about contemporary beginnings.