Kathmandu, December 30: The Gurung community in Nepal is celebrating the Tamu Lhosar festival today by bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new one. The word Lho means “year” and Sar means “change,” hence the day when the year changes is called Tamu Lhosar. The Gurung community celebrates Tamu Lhosar as their New Year with great grandeur.
The Tamu Lhosar festival is related to the sun’s rays. Since the warmth of the sun reaches earlier in districts with a predominant Gurung population—such as Lamjung, Gorkha, Tanahun, Syangja, Manang, Kaski, and Parbat—the festival is celebrated in the month of Poush. It is believed that, as the sun’s warmth gradually reaches areas inhabited by the Tamang and Sherpa communities, the festival is celebrated later, in the months of Magh and Falgun.
Experts also note that the festival holds significance because the night of Poush 15 is the longest of the year, after which nights begin to shorten.
On the occasion of Tamu Lhosar, the government has declared a public holiday today. To mark the festival, the Gurung community is organizing a special program at Tundikhel.
During the program, members of the Gurung community participate dressed in traditional and cultural attire. An exhibition of special Gurung cuisine will also be held. On this occasion, the Lhosar Festival has been underway at Tundikhel in the capital since Sunday, with the participation of thousands of people.
People’s News Monitoring Service.
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