People from the Tamang Community are celebrating Sonal Lhosar with much fervour by extending wishes to each other and feasting on traditional cuisines on Wednesday.

On the occasion of the community's New Year festival, President Bidya Devi Bhandari  extended greetings to the Tamang Community.

The day is celebrated on the first day of the new moon during the Nepali month of Magh. In her message, the President wished the people from the Tamang community peace, happiness, prosperity, good health, fraternity and progress.

She believed that the Sonam Lhosar will strengthen the national unity.

Similarly, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba urged all the people to celebrate the festival by following the health safety protocols.

Tamangs divide their years into 12 cycles, each one for a year, which is given a special name, represented by one of the 12 animals for each year.

The government has declared a public holiday today to celebrate the festival.

The Tamang Community is the fifth largest community in term of population in Nepal, comprising 5.64 percent of the total population, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.