Tamu Lhosar: The Gurung Community Welcomes the New Year

Kathmandu, Dec 30: The Gurung community is celebrating Tamu Lhosar today by saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new one. In the Gurung language, 'Lho' means year and 'Sar' means change. 

Therefore, the day the year changes is called Tamu Lhosar. The Gurung community celebrates this festival with great joy as their New Year.

The festival is closely connected to the rays of the sun. It is celebrated in December (the month of Poush) because the sun's warmth reaches Gurung-majority districts like Lamjung, Gorkha, Tanahun, Syangja, Manang, Kaski, and Parbat first. 

It is believed that other communities, like the Tamang and Sherpa, celebrate their New Year in later months (January and February) as the sun's warmth reaches their regions afterwards.

Experts say this festival is also important because December 30 (Poush 15) has the longest night of the year, and from tomorrow, the nights will start getting shorter.

The government has declared a public holiday today for Tamu Lhosar. A special program is being organized at Tundikhel, Kathmandu, where people from the Gurung community gather in their beautiful traditional clothes. 

The event features traditional food stalls and cultural displays. A Lhosar festival has already started at Tundikhel since Sunday, attracting thousands of visitors.