Celebrate New Year in Chitlang: A Local Tradition You Can Not Miss
Dec 17, 2024

Celebrate New Year in Chitlang: A Local Tradition You Can Not Miss

Celebrate New Year in Chitlang: A Local Tradition You Can Not Miss
  • Dec 17, 2024

As the last few months of this year start ticking, we must try to make the most of this year as much as we can. So, let’s open our hearts to the upcoming New Year celebrations and make memories with our loved ones so the new year can bring lots of love and happiness throughout […]

As the last few months of this year start ticking, we must try to make the most of this year as much as we can. So, let’s open our hearts to the upcoming New Year celebrations and make memories with our loved ones so the new year can bring lots of love and happiness throughout the year.

So if you are sitting in some corner of beautiful Nepal wondering where the best place to welcome a fabulous New Year would be, you’re going to want to pen down Chitlang.

Celebrating New Year in Chitlang may not be as grand as in other cities such as Kathmandu or Pokhara, but that is what people want sometimes. New Year does not only mean partying with a big group of hundreds. 

Sometimes you just need to spend some quality time with family and friends expressing your gratitude to have them in your life and just enter the next days with love, hope, and optimism. Chitlang is the perfect spot that fulfill your wishes.

So, if you and your loved ones want peaceful and cozy New Year celebrations, pack your bags and head to Chitlang. Not so far from Kathmandu, you all can do a variety of activities, have great food, and simply enjoy being together. 

How do locals in Chitlang celebrate New Year?

 Here are some common ways people in Chitlang celebrate the new year:

1. Family gatherings

Festive celebrations are nothing without family. New Year is a great time for families to be together, share meals, exchange gifts, and just spend quality time together which they don’t often get to do otherwise.

Also, it is a great way of continuing the family cultural traditions like lightning oil lamp, seeking elder’s blessings, etc. The new year actually brings the family much closer and makes their bond stronger.

2. Religious rituals

Pujas play a significant role in New Year celebrations in Nepal. These are essential rituals people perform to seek blessings from deities to welcome a prosperous and auspicious year ahead. They also pray for the deities for their family’s good health, wealth, and happiness.

Locals perform pujas on this auspicious day to express their gratitude to the divine for the blessings received in the past year. They perform such religious activities to welcome the new year with positivity and blessings.

3. Cultural programs

In certain areas of Chitlang, people welcome the New Year by organizing cultural programs including traditional dances, music, and theatrical acts. They believe in including their culture and tradition in every celebration because they have been deeply rooted in them since ancient times.

 People believe in moving with time but they never forget to take their culture with them. It also creates an intergenerational bond as the older and younger generations come together to share their stories and experiences. 

4. Bonfires

Bonfires or they are commonly known as Dachi, have a massive cultural and symbolic importance in Nepali culture, especially in festivals like New Year and Tihar. A tradition that is thousands of years old, bonfires represent warmth, light, and removing dark energies, making the new year prosperous and peaceful.

Also, the bonfire night is a joyous occasion, bringing families and friends together where they share fun stories and celebrate life. Bonfires also is a way of expressing gratitude to Mother Nature.

How can tourists celebrate New Year in Chitlang?

Even if you are not a local of Chitlang, there are multiple ways you can celebrate this special day with your loved ones. Consider doing the following activities:

1. Stay at a homestay

Starting the New Year with a wonderful experience at a homestay in Chitlang is unlike doing it in any other big city like Kathmandu. Visit Chitlang and choose local homestays over modern hotels. That way, you can experience the local culture and hospitality, making your new year merrier and more memorable.

2. Explore Chitlang and camping

Is there any better way of starting the new year with nature? Camping in Chitlang can be an ideal activity that you can pair up with village tours, nature walking, and bird watching. Lose yourself in the enchanting beauty of the Sal and Pine trees.

You can set a camp in the shed of a tree, have a tour of the organic village, and learn about the local harvest of organic fruits and vegetables. During the evening, you and your loved ones can gather around a fire, talk about life, and enjoy barbeque meals.

3. Hiking and exploring Chitlang

If you want to make your New Year in Chitlang more adventurous, hiking and exploring fun parts of this ancient town is an option. Since the weather during the Nepali New Year is springtime and calm, you can easily access the trails and hike to various places like Indrasarovar, Mohini Jharna, Bheda Farm, etc.

Spring adds a touch of magic to these places’ beauty and the fresh smell of the flowers is something to marvel at. There’s new greenery everywhere and that just makes your experience much better.

4. Wine and goat cheese tasting

Bring some cheers to your new year by tasting the local plum wine and Nepal’s finest artisan goat cheese in Chitlang. If you love drinking wine, here, you can get refreshing sand pear wine, yacon wine, and plum wine.

 Enjoy a lovely evening with the fresh balance of sweetness and tartness with the earthy flavour of Peruvian ground apples and locally harvested sand pear. Along with that, taste some fresh goat cheese from the Chitlang goat cheese factory. The cheese and wine combination will make your taste buds happy.

5. Enjoy local cuisines

Newari dishes are popular all over Nepal. Since Chitlang is an ancient Newari town, you can taste varieties of local dishes like samay baji, choila, bara, yomari, gundruk, and the traditional Newari chyang (locally made rice alcohol). 

A good local feast with your loved ones will make your day better. After all, having and feeding good food is a love language too.

6. Organizing a picnic

If you do not have time to hike or camp, a picnic on the grounds sounds like a better alternative. Prepare some tasty food and drinks, carry some fun games like badminton, and find a perfect spot where you and your family can sit and chill.

You can also walk nearby and take great photographs. Put on some music, dance, and have a fun time. That is a perfect day celebrated for a great and memorable new year.

History of Nepali New Year

So here is the Nepali New Year, which is popularly termed the Baisakh or Navavarsha, which is used to celebrate the festival for its first day of the month Baisakh in the Nepali calendar, which usually lies around mid-April. Bikram Sambat is what this calendar is called, and it was established by King Vikramaditya around 57 BC.

The dates of this period can be discovered on the engravings on stone and copper, Nepali coins, and attributable to the highly instilled conventions of in excess of 60 ethnic gatherings in Nepal there are actually 9 separate New Year’s Days being widely celebrated in Nepal. 

But really, the New Year most known as Nepal Sambat is referred to as the “International New Year,” and it does bring the semblance of oneness in front of great linguistic, cultural, and historical diversity.

New Year celebrations usually coincide with the celebration of Bisket Jatra, a colorful and lively festival celebrated in Bhaktapur, where chariot processions, cultural performances, and traditional dances comprise the events.

How is the Nepali New Year different?

Nepal’s calendars are not like any of the other countries’ calendars. This calendar is known as Bikram Sambat. It is nearly 57 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar which means Nepal is living in 2081 whereas the Western world is in 2024.

 The length of months in the Nepali calendar is different from one year to another, calculated on the basis of astronomical measurements. For instance, the current month of Nepal, Chaitra 2078, has 30 days. However, next year, it will be extended to 31 days. Thus, commonly, the festivals also fall on different dates from year to year.

How does the New Year bring unity in diversity to Nepal?

On this day all Nepalis, no matter their ethnicity or religion, come together as one to celebrate New Year. Indeed a testimony of the rich cultural diversity within the country and the thread of unity that holds all the people together. 

Essentially, Nepali New Year is more than a date in a calendar. It signifies a celebration of identity, a celebration of community, and an evocation of the everlasting spirit of the people of Nepal. While they gather together rejoicing at such activities, they also remember the values that define them as a nation: compassion, kindness, and solidarity. 

Conclusion

Whether you’re seeking solitude, adventure, or rich cultural immersion this New Year, you can get it all done in Chitlang. The crisp mountain air, amazing natural views, and the locally prepared fresh cuisine create a perfect setting for a peaceful and rejuvenating New Year. That is unlike any New Year celebrations you have ever had in the city. 

This New Year, if you and your family, as well as friends, want a unique and unforgettable celebration, then, of course, there can be no better location than Chitlang near Kathmandu. If you want to know more about this, visit our website or contact Chitlang Organic Village Resort directly where you can learn about this small, ancient town.

FAQs

1. Does Chitlang get expensive in New Year?

Ans: Not at all. Unlike cities like Pokhara and Chitwan whose expenses go slightly up during New Year, Chitlang is always affordable. Because the tourist number is always limited there, you do not have to worry about paying high prices for accommodation or food. This budget-friendly destination offers you a peaceful and affordable New Year celebration.

2. Is New Year the best time to visit Chitlang?

Ans: Absolutely. Nepali New Year falls in mid-April which is spring. The weather, the greenery, the views, everything during this time is perfect. Also, if you’re hiking, camping, or picnicking, the weather will support you to the fullest.