Sonam Lhosar is a new year festival of the

Tamang The Tamang (; Devanagari: तामाङ; ''tāmāṅ'') are an Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group of Nepal. In Nepal Tamang/Moormi people constitute 5.6% of the Nepalese population at over 1.3 million in 2001, increasing to 1,539,830 as of the 2011 ...

and Hyolmo people of

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

and the

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Silig ...

and

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal ...

regions of India. It falls on the second new moon after the

winter solstice The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the winter ...

which is usually the Magh ''Sukla Pratipada'' based on the eastern lunar calendar. Years are associated with 12 different animals - Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat/Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar. Historically, the festival is celebrated after harvesting the crops.

Activities

In Sonam Lhosar the Tamang people visit monasteries and

stupas A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

sacrifice themselves meanwhile special rituals with mask dance are performed to drive away evil spirits. The houses and surroundings are cleaned to welcome gods and goddesses. Pork, chicken, mutton, fish, and sweet desserts are consumed in the Sonam Lhosar. Khapsey and Babar (kind a like chapati but made of rice) and Thongsey are mainly eat in Hyolmo Community. People wear traditional dresses and jewellery to participate in cultural events and exchange the greetings with each another.

Tamang Selo Tamang Selo ( Nepali: तामाङ सेलो) is a genre of Nepali folk song sung by the Tamang people of Nepal and is widely popular among the Nepali-speaking community in Nepal, in India, and around the world. It is usually accompanied by t ...

and the Damphu is played in the festival for dance. Syabru is commonly dance in Hyolmo Community.

References

External links

Photos
{{New Year by Calendar Festivals in Nepal New Year celebrations Buddhist festivals in Nepal Buddhist festivals in India New Year in India Tamang culture

Activities

See also

References

External links