Mha puja and Nepal Sambat 1143 New Year strikes today. On Wednesday, the Newa community celebrated Nepal Sambat 1143, the Newa calendar’s new year, and Mha Pooja—self-worship.
The Nepal Sambat new year is celebrated in the morning, followed by Mha Puja in the evening.
Mha Puja takes place on the first day of the Nepal Sambat year.
Shankhadhar Sakhwa, the National Luminary, is credited with beginning the Nepal Sambat in 880 AD by releasing the impoverished from debt during the reign of Lichhavi dynasty king Raghav Dev.
Siddhibir Karmacharya, the main priest of Taleju temple, indicated that Mha Puja should be held today as per tradition, but that there is some confusion concerning the celebration in Bhaktapur.
Mha Pula literally translates to “self-worship.” The Newa community celebrates this on the fourth night of Tihar, Kartik Shukla Pratipada, by adoring self in the hope that light of knowledge would spread when ignorance is destroyed.
On this day, sweet foods are cooked at home, and mandalas (holy designs created on the floor as a symbol of their soul) are worshipped. Family members sit in front of the mandalas, and the lady of the home bestows upon each one a blazing lamp, sacred thread Jajanka, and fruits representing long life and good fortune.
However, culture specialist Om Dhaubhadel stated that there is no evidence to confirm when this celebration began, but that the Newa community has been celebrating it since the Lichchhivi era. Mha puja and Nepal Sambat 1143 New Year strikes today.
