Nepali New Year: A Celebration
Nepali New Year
Nepali New Year : Overview
Nepali New Year, New Year is the time when one year is completed and the next year begins. New Year is celebrated in different ways around the world on different dates. In our country also various new years are celebrated. Among them, the new year of Bikram Samvat starts from Baisakh 1. Nepali culture has been celebrating the New Year as a moment of different kinds of enthusiasm and faith.
Vikram Samvatkonya Nepali New Year arrives with new fervor, exhilaration and hope along with the beautiful days of spring adorned with the fragrant breeze of fresh leaves and flowers seen in the waves and trees and the chirping of coyote and other birds.Culture expert P.D. Mukunda Aryal says, “Various bases of time calculation have been found in the world since ancient times. In the west, there are different eras and in India, there is a tradition of eras.
Even within those eras, Samvat is considered as a different cycle of time. Samvat means year, year, year, etc. According to the chronology, there is a worldwide tradition of celebrating the new year with special enthusiasm and fervor. So far, there is no clear evidence as to when the New Year was celebrated in the world, but it can be said that the New Year has been celebrated in the world since time immemorial. Different types of New Year are celebrated in Nepal.
There is no consensus among scholars as to when, why and by whom this samvat, which is believed to have been run by Vikramaditya, was run. Since Vikrama means might, it is run by Vikramaditya of Ujjain. It is not clear whether it was run by any of the Gupta rulers. Some have even said that it was run by a king of Nepal, but there is not enough basis for that. What seems to be a little reliable in this is that after the advent of the republic in the Malwa state of India, Bikram Samvat started from there in 57 BC.
According to Bikram Samvat Saurman, as the Sun enters Aries etc. in 12 zodiac signs, after Pisces it enters Aries again, a cycle is completed and the new year returns. In Nepal, Bikram Samvat is found to have been going on since time immemorial. This day is also associated with religion and culture in Nepal.
Various processions and festivals are celebrated in the valley on Nepali New Year’s Day. After bathing in the Balaju Baisadhara, one visits the Jamacho Buddhist Stupa on the hill of Nagarjuna and the Sapantirtha at the mouth of the river Vishnumati.
Similarly, Bhaktapur Biscuit Jatra and Thimi’s tongue piercing Jatra are also associated with the New Year tradition. In this way, Aries Sankranti, popularly known as Nepali New Year, i.e. Baisakh Sankranti is celebrated with joy. As it conveys new hope, Nepalis have followed the culture of celebrating the New Year as an opportunity to leave the old and move towards innovation.
Similarly, astrologer Shaligram Dhakal says that the new year has a special significance based on astrological beliefs. The act of the Sun entering from one zodiac sign to another is called Sankranti.
On Nepali New Year’s Day, the Sun moves from Pisces to Aries. Aries is also the highest sign of the Sun. Mars, the lord of Aries, is considered the friend sign of the Sun in astrology. Looking at these two processes, it can be said that just as going to a friend’s house brings happiness and joy, and reaching a high position is celebrated, so is the practice of celebrating and doing good deeds on New Year’s Day considering the position of the sun.
Since the sun is the basis of life in the bird world, human beings also have a direct relationship with the sun. That is why it is customary to have fun on Nepali New Year’s Day. From a religious point of view, this day is considered auspicious for sacrifices and rituals as even small deeds done to remove planetary pain can bring great fruits. ‘
According to Narayan Gautam, the new year has not only taken a religious form but has also been embracing social norms and instilling new enthusiasm in the society.
“We have to celebrate the New Year to protect our traditions, religion, culture and civilization,” he said. In ancient times, people used to worship in different temples to celebrate the New Year in Nepal, but now the custom of celebrating the New Year by exchanging good wishes and wearing new clothes has developed.
As soon as the new year is announced, happiness and enthusiasm begin to flow among the common people. As it is celebrated as a festival, Nepali New Year has a special place in Nepali folk life. Even though everyone has their own way of celebrating the New Year, it is celebrated with a common purpose to make it auspicious. It is also a review of the day-to-day work done by humans or any organization. So this day should learn from the past and try to make the present better.
