AMN/ WEB DESK
The Gurung community is marking Tamu Lhosar on Monday by bidding adieu 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 programs. Tamu Lhosar festival is observed with fanfare in districts of Nepal with a high Gurung population, including Lamjung, Gorkha, Tanahun, Syangja, Manang, Kaski and Parbat.
It is the New Year among the Gurung community of Nepal’s upper hilly and mountainous regions. Members of the Gurung community have organised a special program at Tundikhel, Kathmandu, today. During the Tamu Lhosar celebration in Tundikhel, Gurung women wear traditional ornaments on their heads, a Makhamali blouse, a conventional shawl called Ghalek, a traditional belly-binding cloth called Patuki and a saree. Gurung men dress in cultural attire of a sleeveless vest called Bhoto, a white shirt-like garment called Bhangra and a type of kilt called Kachhad and perform a vibrant cultural dance.
The festival is celebrated on the 15th of the Nepali month Push (December-January) and the night today is the longest of the year and then, the duration of the night is believed to gradually shorten. The government has announced a public holiday on the occasion of Tamu Lhosar.