Public Holiday Declared as Nepal Celebrates Gyalpo Lhosar

Kathmandu. The Sherpa community is celebrating the Gyalpo Lhosar festival today through various programs. "Lho" means year and "Chhar" means new. The Sherpa community celebrates this as the New Year.

On the occasion of the festival, there is a tradition in the Sherpa community to clean the roads and water sources in their villages and neighborhoods, eat Guthuk (a dish made of nine types of grains mixed together) and Khapse, and welcome the New Year by exchanging greetings with one another. This festival is taken as an opportunity to enhance family and social harmony.

Gyalpo Lhosar is celebrated by the Sherpa community living in the Himalayan region of Nepal and others following the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, with the belief that the New Year begins on the day of Phagun Shukla Pratipada according to the lunar calendar. Syabru dance, the sweet melody of the Tungna (Damyang), and collective joy make Gyalpo Lhosar even more meaningful.

It is also believed that this festival, celebrated as the New Year, carries new hope, excitement, and joy, helping to further strengthen the feelings of mutual love, brotherhood, harmony, and unity in society. The government has also granted a public holiday today on this occasion.