Kathmandu, Jan 15: President Ramchandra Paudel has conveyed his belief that festivals such as Maghe Sankranti enhance feelings of brotherhood, mutual harmony, and tolerance among all Nepalese.
On the occasion of Maghe Sankranti and the Maghi Festival, 2082 BS, he offered his best wishes for happiness, peace, and prosperity to all Nepalese brothers and sisters, both within the country and abroad. President Paudel remarked, “I believe that festivals like Maghe Sankranti not only aid in fostering ethnic harmony, respect for diversity, and national unity in Nepal’s multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, and multicultural society but also nurture feelings of brotherhood, mutual harmony, and tolerance among all Nepalese.”
The Maghe Sankranti or Makar Sankranti festival is celebrated joyfully by various communities in Nepal, each in their unique manner. Notably, the Tharu community observes the Maghi festival as their New Year. Families traditionally enjoy the festival by indulging in delicacies such as ghee, chaku, tarul, laddus, sel roti, dhikri, and khichdi.
President Paudel also highlighted that it is customary for people to take a holy bath in sacred rivers and confluences like Barahkshetra, Devghat, and Ridi Kshetra, and to worship at temples on this day. He emphasized that such festivals, as unique intangible cultural heritage, play a significant role in showcasing our country to the world.
In his message of best wishes, he expressed, “I hope that Maghe Sankranti and the Maghi festival motivate all of us to preserve our culture and create a civilized, cultured, and egalitarian society.”
Similarly, while extending the best wishes on the occasion, Vice President Ramsahay Prasad Yadav has emphasized the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources. He has highlighted that all citizens and relevant stakeholders must be conscious about the conservation and sustainable use of resources.
Vice President Yadav stated, “In Nepal, the day of the Maghi festival is also observed as National Agricultural Biodiversity Day. All three levels of government have been given the responsibility for conservation, and since Nepal is a signatory to international treaties, the importance of biodiversity conservation has increased even more.
