KATHMANDU:  President Ramchandra Paudel has inaugurated the 2152nd Gyalpo Lhosar festival celebrations. Gyalpo Lhosar is the New Year celebration of the Himalayan Indigenous Sherpa community.

President Paudel inaugurated the festival by cutting Phemar (a traditional dish of the Sherpa community) at a program held at Sheetal Niwas today.

On the occasion, he expressed the belief that festivals like Gyalpo Lhosar would contribute to further strengthening national unity by fostering mutual harmony and tolerance among all Nepalis, regardless of ethnicity, language, culture, and rituals.

The Head of State noted that Nepal is rich in diverse castes, languages, cultures, and religions, with each ethnic group celebrating its own unique festivals.

Stating that the Sherpa community has its own distinctiveness, he emphasized that Sherpa and other Himalayan Indigenous communities have played a remarkable role in strengthening the country economically through tourism and business. They have also contributed to the continuity, protection, and promotion of the language, religion, art, culture, and traditions of the Himalayan region.