Tamu Lhosar being observed

Kathmandu: The Gurung community is marking Tamu Lhosar today by bidding farewell to the year gone by.

In the Gurung language, ‘Lho’ means year or age and ‘Sar’ denotes change.

Members of the Gurung community mark the festival by organising feasts and cultural programmes. Tamu Lhosar is also associated with the sun’s rays, it is said.

The festival is marked on the 15th of the Nepali month of Poush as sunrays reach early in the geography of Gurung settlements including Lamjung, Gorkha, Tanahun, Syangja, Manang, Kaski and Parbat.

The Tamang and Sherpa communities mark the festival in the Nepali month of Magh and Falgun, respectively.
The government has announced a public holiday on the occasion of Tamu Lhosar. Members of the Gurung community will organise a special programme at Tundikhel, Kathmandu, today.

Meanwhile, President Ramchandra Paudel and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachana’ have wished happiness, peace and good health to all Nepali sisters and brothers at home and abroad on the occasion of Tamu Lhosar festival.

In a separate message of best wishes today on the occasion of Tamu Lhosar, the greatest festival of the Gurung community, the President has wished that this festival provide energy to all of us in making a socially and economically prosperous country by promoting the aspirations of mutual trust and unity.

President Paudel has expressed confidence that this festival would help further strengthen our national unity by promoting goodwill, tolerance and brotherhood among all Nepalis in our multiethnic, multilingual and multicultural diverse society.

The President also stated that the role of the Gurung community is praiseworthy in promoting our tourism by protecting and promoting Nepal’s cultural traditions.

Likewise, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said that institutionalizing the beauty of the federal democratic republic along with internalizing the country’s features and uniqueness was the common responsibility of all of us.

In a message of greetings on the occasion of Tamu Lhosar today, the PM stated that the country’s unity, sovereignty, prosperity and national interests remain on the promotion of nationality and identity of communities.

In his message, PM Prachanda said that democracy, social justice, national unity, sovereignty, indivisibility, patriotism, unity, goodwill and tolerance have remained Nepal’s national characteristics and identity and added that his government has always made an effort to meet the national aspirations of prosperity by addressing the key challenges of the country.

PM Dahal has expressed confidence that the Tamu Lhosar festival would encourage all Nepalis to integrate into the national duty of maintaining social justice, good governance and prosperity along with promoting national unity.