KATHMANDU, Dec 30 - Shashank Tamu had all the more reason to come to Nepal this year. Having spent the entire good half of his life in Hong Kong, he was completely oblivious of the traditions and culture that his ancestors so proudly relished. But all this changed as he finally had the opportunity to dance to the tune of Sorathi today. "Only now, I do feel like belonging to a community", he said.
And Shashank was just one of the several hundred Gurungs who gathered at the premises of the Birendra International Convention Centre (BICC) in the capital today to live up to their identities. From all over the Kathmandu Valley and places as distant as Rumjatar and Pokhara, all these people had come to celebrate their much-coveted festival, Tamu Lhochhar.
Prior to the actual assemblage at the BICC, a parade of people, dressed in traditional Gurung attires had also walked all their way from Bhrikutimandap. This procession, which was led by a rickshaw carrying a monkey mannequin, included several performers and musicians playing indigenous Gurung instruments. It also carried the banners of several organisations that helped to organise the event.
While at the BICC itself, several stalls had been set up to cater the needs of the overwhelming turnouts. Interestingly, some of these stalls housed traditional Gurung priests - the Polcha, Zhabris and Lamas, where willing enthusiasts could, supposedly, get a glimpse of their future.
Lhochhar, which is celebrated at the last day of the lunar year, also marks the yearly changing of the animal signature that represents, foretells and predicts every incident of the year. As such, this Lhochhar has ushered in the year of the monkey and bid farewell to the year of the sheep. "The monkey’s years should be a time of peace and prosperity." said Chomba Tamu to The Kathmandu Post. One can only hope that he is right. In a short formal programme, organised prior to the actual celebration, Sekhar Tamu, the co-ordinator of the main organising committee, handed out prizes and certificates to the winners of the oratory, writing and sports competitions organised a day before. "The increasing interest of the youths in their culture is a positive step forward", he said.A horde of interesting cultural items, including the dhote, shipta and sorathi were also presented on the occasion. And making them even remarkable was the fact that some of the performers were well past their 60s. Age, it seemed was not a factor when it comes to preserving tradition.
At the end of the day, the most engaging and enjoyable programme, by far was the Dohari competition. Dohari, a uniquely Nepali style of singing usually involves two groups where each group takes a turn to tell something, almost anything to the other in prose. The group that fails to come up with an appropriate sonnet soon enough loses to the other.
And Shashank was just one of the several hundred Gurungs who gathered at the premises of the Birendra International Convention Centre (BICC) in the capital today to live up to their identities. From all over the Kathmandu Valley and places as distant as Rumjatar and Pokhara, all these people had come to celebrate their much-coveted festival, Tamu Lhochhar.
Prior to the actual assemblage at the BICC, a parade of people, dressed in traditional Gurung attires had also walked all their way from Bhrikutimandap. This procession, which was led by a rickshaw carrying a monkey mannequin, included several performers and musicians playing indigenous Gurung instruments. It also carried the banners of several organisations that helped to organise the event.
While at the BICC itself, several stalls had been set up to cater the needs of the overwhelming turnouts. Interestingly, some of these stalls housed traditional Gurung priests - the Polcha, Zhabris and Lamas, where willing enthusiasts could, supposedly, get a glimpse of their future.
Lhochhar, which is celebrated at the last day of the lunar year, also marks the yearly changing of the animal signature that represents, foretells and predicts every incident of the year. As such, this Lhochhar has ushered in the year of the monkey and bid farewell to the year of the sheep. "The monkey’s years should be a time of peace and prosperity." said Chomba Tamu to The Kathmandu Post. One can only hope that he is right. In a short formal programme, organised prior to the actual celebration, Sekhar Tamu, the co-ordinator of the main organising committee, handed out prizes and certificates to the winners of the oratory, writing and sports competitions organised a day before. "The increasing interest of the youths in their culture is a positive step forward", he said.A horde of interesting cultural items, including the dhote, shipta and sorathi were also presented on the occasion. And making them even remarkable was the fact that some of the performers were well past their 60s. Age, it seemed was not a factor when it comes to preserving tradition.
At the end of the day, the most engaging and enjoyable programme, by far was the Dohari competition. Dohari, a uniquely Nepali style of singing usually involves two groups where each group takes a turn to tell something, almost anything to the other in prose. The group that fails to come up with an appropriate sonnet soon enough loses to the other.
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