TAAN Lhosar Festival to be organized in Thamel

Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) has decided to celebrate the TAAN Lhosar Festival in Thamel on February 17.

Speaking at a press meet organized at TAAN Secretariat in Maligaun, TAAN officials said preparations for the festival were at the final stage.

In the past years, TAAN used to celebrate the Lhosar festival by organizing the ‘Lhosar Dinner Ball’ in different hotels. This year, it is organizing the festival in Thamel – the tourist hotspot in Kathmandu Valley — to promote the Lhosar festival as a cultural tourism product.

TAAN President Ramesh Prasad Dhamala said the festival will see cultural performances of different ethnic groups like Gurungs, Tamangs, and Sherpas.

The program will begin with a cultural procession from the Sanchayakosh Building. The procession will pass through different thoroughfares in Thamel before culminating in a formal program at Tridevi Marg.

Traditional dances like Syabru (Sherpa), Maruni (Gurung), and Tamang (Selo) will be performed on the occasion. The Ganesh Himal Tourism Development Committee will organize a special ‘Mhendo La’ Dance in Thamel. There will also be food stalls showcasing the traditional cuisines of the Sherpa, Gurung, and Tamang communities, among others.

The program will also see various entertainment and fun-filled programs like live concerts, modern dances, and DJ sessions, among others. Renowned artistes like Performance by renowned artistes like Roj Moktan, DJ Tenzing, Mingma Sherpa, Resma Sunuwar, Himal Ghale, Abhinash Ghising, Nirmala Ghising, Sunil Lama, Jyoti Magar, Mausam Gurung, Sanjaya Gurung, Bhimu Gurung, AP Sherpa, Jayabir Tamang, Arambha Tamang, Bharat Sitaula, Dorji Lama, Suman Thapa Magar and DJ Biki are scheduled to perform at the program.

“By organizing the festival in Thamel, we want to press the authorities not to limit night activities in Thamel to, say 10 pm. As a tourist hotspot, Thamel should operate around the clock,” TAAN General Secretary Sagar Pandey said.

Similarly, festival coordinator Kul Bahadur Gurung, who is also the second vice president of TAAN, said TAAN will give continuity to the festival based on the responses from the participants.

TAAN plans to organize the festival every year on February 17 to promote it as a cultural tourism product.

Source: TAAN