Today, the Chepang Community is happily celebrating the Chhonam (Nwagi) festival, which is an important religious event that happens every year on the 22nd of Bhadau.
In a recent meeting of the Bagmati Province government, they decided to give a day off in three districts of the province to honor the Chhonam festival. So, Chitwan, Makawanpur, and Dhading districts are all enjoying a day off today.
Laxman Chepang, who is the Bagmati Province Secretary of the Nepal Chepang Association and also the ward chairperson of Ichchhakamana rural municipality-6, said that they’re celebrating the festival together. Chepang people from Chitwan, Dhading, Makawanpur, and Gorkha districts are coming together in Chyangli, Dhading district to celebrate this special time. The Chepang Association has been organizing this joint celebration for eight years in a row. For those who can’t join in person, they’re celebrating the festival in their own homes and communities.
In the Chepang community, they believe it’s important to first offer the newly harvested food to their ancestors before they eat it. This special celebration lets Chepang people enjoy the fresh food they’ve grown and have yummy meals together.
Laxam Chepang said that the festival is a special day for Chepang people to enjoy the fresh food they’ve just harvested.
Right now, there are about 84,364 Chepang people in the country. Most of them, around 35,000, live in the Chitwan district.
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