New Year, New Hope

The New Year isn’t just a date on a calendar, it is also a social construct that calls for jovial celebration with feelings of renewal and rejuvenation. During New Year, a collective agreement exists to start anew with a clean slate. It hallmarks the desire to shed past burdens and, in their place, plant better reminiscences. In Nepal, people follow a Bikram Sambat calendar wherein the New Year falls on Baishak 1st, which corresponds to April in the Gregorian calendar. So next week, Nepal will be celebrating New Year 2082.

However, the days preceding the New Year have been marked with tumultuous events in Nepal that saw pro-monarchy protesters marching on the streets, vandalising, conducting arson and even looting. On Chaitra 15, 2081, the Kathmandu valley had been expecting a peaceful rally but things got out of hand when the crowd got agitated. Two people, including a journalist, lost their lives. Nepal’s capital city had to order a curfew to curtail the protestors, leading to a feeling of precariousness and caution. Fingers pointed to prominent royalist leaders and it took several days for the acridness of the events of Chaitra 15 to dissipate.

Thus, the preceding days to New Year have been filled with a sense of foreboding. But Nepalis are a resilient people and they likely have bounced back on their feet as the hype to the New Year has added to a joyous anticipation. It has been proven that people feel strongly about new beginnings, especially the New Year. It is human nature to dwell on the past and plan for the future, often at the cost of living in the present moment. People are known to make plans over the New Year while also crafting out resolutions for a better year ahead.

It is during this time that gym memberships soar, people try out new looks and even a new wardrobe, reach out to long-lost friends and relatives and so on. It also helps that New Year falls on Baishak, which is a pleasant month in Nepal, just before the temperature begins to hike up. Nepalis take this moment to take a break from work and studies and go hiking and trekking. 

Rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal, blooms around this time, adorning the hills with a pretty red colour among the greenery. The bright blue sky clears for vivid mountain scenery. As people take in the natural sight, they are filled with awe that for a moment keeps their woes and problems at bay. Human nature is unique. It seeks novelty while also craving familiarity. It loves new beginnings while at the same time dreads endings. But all things come to an end just as a year ends and another one begins. As 2081 comes to a close, Nepalis too could take this time to think over their past, present and future. 

With the New Year 2082 on the horizon next week, Nepalis as a collective society could take this moment to reflect on their personal life in juxtaposition with Nepal’s politics and its uncertain future. Certainly, Nepalis within the nation and abroad will be commemorating New Year 2082, which connects them with shared hopes, ambitions and dreams even amid a feeling of political ambiguity.