Sonam Lhosar: A Vibrant New Year Festival Observed by the Tamang Community and Buddhist Societies

Kathmandu. Today, the Tamang community is celebrating Sonam Lhosar with joy by organizing various programs. Every year, on the day of Magh Shukla Pratipada, the Tamang community celebrates Lhosar with special traditional and cultural significance.

In this way, the Tamang community living in the high hilly and mountainous regions of Nepal, as well as areas with a high density of Buddhists including neighboring China to the north, celebrate this day with great enthusiasm as the New Year.

This festival is specially celebrated in various districts of Bagmati Province, where the Tamang community is in the majority. In the capital, Lhosar is being celebrated by organizing various programs in the Tundikhel, Boudha, and Swayambhu areas. On the occasion of Sonam Lhosar, the government has also declared a public holiday across the country today.

Sonam Lhosar is divided into 12 cycles: Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Bird, Dog, and Pig. Carrying the meaning of 'Lho' as year and 'Sar' as new, this festival conveys a message of new energy, prosperity, and positive change.

It is customary to celebrate this festival by performing land worship (Bhumi Puja), ancestral worship (Kul Puja), giving alms, bowing and greeting, dancing and singing, eating delicious dishes, and exchanging well wishes. 

This festival, celebrated collectively by gathering everyone from the community in one place, is observed according to their own traditions by various groups living in different parts of the country including Tamang, Hyolmo, Thakali, Jirel, Nesyangwa, Bhote, Dura, and Lepcha.

The practice of celebrating Lhosar in Nepal is believed to have entered from China and Chinese-administered states, because the Chinese calendar also addresses the New Year by the names of various animals and birds. However, the Tamang community uses their own original and distinct calendar from the Chinese one, which is called the 'Lunar Calendar'. 

According to Buddhism, Tamangs belong to the Mahayana sect. In addition to Tamangs, the Lhosar festival is celebrated by castes such as Sherpa, Gurung, Magar, Thakali, Jirel, Nesyangwa, Bhote, Dura, and Lepcha.

The Sonam Lhosar festival is celebrated in countries where the Tamang people have reached, including Nepal, Singapore, Mongolia, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Bhutan, Laos, Myanmar, and Japan. 

Today, most of the Buddhist monasteries in these countries are colorful and joyful; the Buddhist monasteries look wonderful today with colorful decorative flags, flower gates, and other captivating decorations.