Kathmandu, Nepal Sambat 1147 began on Tuesday, with the Newar community celebrating its indigenous lunar calendar's new year with cultural processions, festivities and the traditional Mha Puja across the country.
The celebrations were held with enthusiasm, particularly in the Kathmandu Valley, where thousands of people participated in cultural programmes, singing, dancing and processions.
In Kathmandu's Basantapur Durbar Square, various organisations organised cultural events and a procession to mark the occasion.
Nepal Sambat was initiated by legendary Nepalese philanthropist Shankhadhar Sakhwa, who freed thousands of people from debt, marking the beginning of the indigenous calendar 1,147 years ago.
The Newar community also celebrated Mha Puja, a tradition centred on worshipping oneself for self-awareness, purification and personal well-being, on Tuesday as part of the five-day Deepawali festival.
Prime Minister Balen Shah extended greetings on the occasion of Nepal Sambat 1147 and Mha Puja. In a message shared on social media, he described Nepal Sambat as the country's indigenous lunar-based calendar and an important marker of its identity.
He said the significance of Mha Puja, celebrated with great enthusiasm by the Newar community, is profound. "'Mha' refers to one's own self and body.
{{/usCountry}}He said the significance of Mha Puja, celebrated with great enthusiasm by the Newar community, is profound. "'Mha' refers to one's own self and body.
{{/usCountry}}By recognising the consciousness within oneself and worshipping oneself on a mandala symbolising the eight immortal beings, this tradition teaches self-purification and self-awareness," Shah said.
Nepal Sambat is the official lunar calendar of the Himalayan nation. It was formally recognised as the national calendar in 2007. It is the only calendar in the world named after a country, not a ruler or religious leader.
Nearly all major festivals of Newars, the original inhabitants of Kathmandu Valley, are observed according to this calendar.
Major Nepali newspapers publish dates simultaneously in all three calendars: Gregorian, Bikram Sambat, and Nepal Sambat.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.