Lhosar

Lhosar is the New Year festival of diffrent ethnic groups, including Tamang, Gurung and Sherpas, living in mountains and hilly areas of the country. However, Gurungs, tamangs and Sherpas celebrate the festival on different dates. The festival falls durung the month of January and February. They greet their friends, family members and relatives on the occasion of their New Year. They rejoice the festivals by singing, dancing and organising great feasts. They also pray for the well-being of their friends and familymembers on diffrent monasteries. Monasteries and stupas, including the Boudhanath and Swoyambhunath, wear festive look during the festival.

Sonam Lhosar falls on different dates each year in Bikram Sambat and English calendar. This calendar is ancient Tibetan/Chinese lunar calendar. The New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (rarely the third if an intercalary month intervenes). That is it is on Magh Shukla Pratipada, under eastern lunar calendar. It’s a government holiday on this day. Tamang has a tradition of counting year with association of symbols of 12 different animals. It starts with Rat and ends on Boar. This year’s Lhosar is the Year of Snake.