KATHMANDU, Feb 12: People from the Tamang community are celebrating 2148th Sonam Lhosar with fanfare by extending greetings to one another and feasting on traditional cuisines on Friday.
‘Lho’ means year and ‘Sar’ means new or fresh if translated, and the word ‘Sonam’ refers to the Tamang people in Nepal, thus the festival ‘Sonam Lhosar’ is the New Year event, according to the calendar followed by Tamang people which falls on Magh Shukla Pakshya every year, according to the Lunar calendar.
Sonam Lhosar being observed today
According to the Manju Shree calendar, Tamangs divide their year into 12 cycles; each is given a special name, before the name of animals. This year the Tamang community is celebrating the year of Ox Year which starts from today marking the end of Rat Year.
In this festival, the houses and neighborhood are kept clean, holy clothes are hoisted and pooja is conducted by worshipping Lord Buddha. The Lama and gurus gather, and dances are performed in the Tamang community. People take blessings from monks and elders for their progress, prosperity and happiness. The events are followed by extensive feasts in houses. The varieties of food like pigs, duck, chicken and sweet desserts are prepared for the family gathering.
