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| Kathmandu, Monday February 03, 2003 Magh 20, 2059. |
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Tamangs exchange 'Year of
Sheep' greetings
By Tejasuee Rajbhandari
KATHMANDU, Feb 2 :"Happy Sheep Year". This greeting
may sound unusual to most people however it is nothing strange to the Tamangs who usher in
their new year, the Year of the Sheep, or more specifically, the ‘Female Water Sheep
Year.’
Today, the Magh Shukla Pakshya Pratiprada,
the first day of full moon is the beginning of the new year for many Buddhists who base
their calendar according to lunar cycle. China, Japan, Mongolia and Korea also celebrate
their New Year on the same day.
Lhochhar (New Year) is celebrated as the
Spring Festival around the world and Tamangs too believe that the day brings in Basanta
Ritu (spring).
Along with the other Buddhist communities,
the Tamangs also believe in the twelve-year cycle, represented by animals, which is known
as Lho. The twelve year cycles are again unitised into five different natural elements,
Earth, Iron, Fire, Water and Wood, which are known as ‘Kham’. The combination of
the animals and the elements combine a bigger cycle of 60 years, with each year belonging
to a specific Kham and a specific Lho. The Kham again can be either male or female.
Parashuram Tamang, Chairman of Nepal Tamang
Ghedung said that Lhochhar Eve is taken as the day to free all the bad effects of the
whole year. The day is celebrated by making idols of twelve animals out of flour, which
also includes the rituals to be performed by Lamas. The ritual destruction of the flour
animals signifies the conclusion of the year and commencement of the new year.
The day is recognised by the government as a
national festival and most Buddhist people are of the opinion that this recognition has
brought optimism among non-Hindu into the national entity.
However different indigenous groups like the
Gurungs and the Sherpas celebrate New Year in different months. Gurungs have already
celebrated their festival a month back and Sherpas and Tibetans will be celebrating their
‘Lhosar’ a month after.
However, Tamangs believe that this is the
correct day to start their new year especially as Magh Shukla Pratipada is an
"International Lhochhar’ day.
Other indigenous communities in Nepal like
Hyalmo and some Sherpa communities also celebrate Lhochhar today.
"On this particular day all Tamangs
hoist the Buddhist Flag, which symbolises the wish for welfare of the whole world and it
also indicates the resurrection of the culture", apprised Tamang.
The day was celebrated with various cultural
and non-cultural programmes. Several organisations like Nepal Tamang Ghedung and Nepal
Tamang Rastriya Mahasangh also celebrated the day by organising cultural programmes and
other events like interaction programme on the ‘Problems of Tamangs in the current
situation of the country and its Solution’.
Though the exact date of the origin of this
festival is not clear, it is believed that it was developed along with the Chinese
Civilisation, 4700 years back.
The Tamangs have blended other rituals with
their own culture, and one aspect common to all cultures, is the feasting that accompanies
the festivities.
Duchi, one of the most important foods, is
prepared by mixing Ngarsum (sugar and honey), Karsum (milk, curd and butter), and Sersang
(water, purified by iron, copper, gold and silver).
The other delicacies are Chhemar, Khapse,
Bhaldu, Aalum, Baber, Guthupa, fruits and non-vegetarian dishes.
"Altogether, the day is celebrated joyously by all the
people. Today is the auspicious day, the starting of good things and the end of bad
effects. It is the day to get together, have fun and eat," said Swarnim Lama, a
student at the Tribhuvan University.
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