Tamang community observe Sonam Lhosar

Kathmandu : The Tamang Community across the country observed the Sonam Lhosar today by organising various programmes.

The festival is taken as the commencement of the near year as per the Manju Shree calendar or Tibetan lunar calendar and today marks the beginning of year 2859. As per the Tamang tradition, today they complete the ‘year of tiger’ and enter the ‘year of hare’.

The festival falls on the Magh Shukla Pratipada, the first day of the bright fortnight in the month of Magh in the lunar calendar.

There is a customary in the Taming community to the count the year with association of symbols of 12 different animals: rat, cow, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, bird, dog and boar. It starts with rat and ends on boar.

According to researcher Tika Sherpa, the counting of year with the name of animals suggest that the Tamang people are worshippers of nature. Various districts in the Bagmati Province are the Tamang-majority districts and this festival is observed in such districts with much fanfare.

The Bouddhanath Area Development Area has planned various programmes today to observe the festival. Likewise, Nepal Tamang Ghedung has decided to mark the festival by organising programmes in the local Tundikhel for the next three years. Likewise, the Swoyambhu area in Kathmandu is hosting programmes on the occasion.