Newa: people celebrate Nepal Sambat New Year and Mha Puja

The Newa: community across Nepal celebrates the Nepal Sambat 1147 New Year while observing Mha Puja, a traditional ritual to worship the self and soul.

Residents in settlements including Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur mark the occasion by closing old ledgers and opening new account books. The Nepal Sambat calendar originated during the Lichhavi period and began in 880 AD when Shankhadhar Sakhwa cleared the debts of poor citizens.

While the calendar lost national recognition during the reign of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, former Prime Ministers Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Pushpa Kamal Dahal later worked to restore its status and recognize Sakhwa as a national luminary. During the festivities, community members perform Mha Puja to honor human consciousness. Ritual expert Prof. Dr. Ram Chandra Gautam says worshiping the inner self is believed to please deities and secure blessings.

Because the lunar date for the New Year spanned two days this year, some communities celebrated on Monday while others performed the worship today.