Diamond Jubilee festival of Annapurna’s first ascent begins

BY THAKUR PRASAD AChARYA,Myagdi, June 2: The Diamond Jubilee Festival marking the 75th anniversary of the first ascent of Annapurna I has officially begun on Saturday. The event is being held at the base camp of Annapurna I (8,091 meters), as well as Narchyang, located in Ward No. 4 of Annapurna Rural Municipality, Myagdi. 

On the first day on Saturday, a team of French artists performed a cultural show at Narchayng of Myagdi.

The five-day event will conclude on Wednesday, June 4. 

Organised under the leadership of Annapurna Rural Municipality, the festival is a joint effort involving the Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Mountaineering Association, Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN), ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project) and the local tourism development committee.

Residents of Annapurna Rural Municipality and Narchyang have completed all preparations and are ready to warmly welcome guests. According to Tej Gurung, a member of the organising committee and an advocate for the Maurice Herzog Trail, a grand welcome ceremony was held on Sunday in Narchyang village, the gateway to the Maurice Herzog Trail, for foreign guests, including Matthieu Herzog, son of the first summiteer Maurice Herzog and a group of French artists.

A team of 14 foreign guests, including members of Herzog’s family, have already departed from Pokhara for Myagdi to participate in the festival. Locals have been actively cleaning the village and building welcome gates to ensure the success of the event.

“All preparations for the Annapurna Diamond Jubilee Festival are complete. For the first time, we are celebrating Annapurna Day here in Myagdi, the very district where Annapurna I stands. In previous years, the event used to be held in Kaski. This time, we are honoured to host it with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli as the chief guest. We believe the festival will help promote Annapurna globally,” said Rural Municipality Chairman Bharat Kumar Pun.

Among the world’s 8,000-metre peaks, Annapurna I holds special significance as it was the first to be summited by humans. On June 2, 1950, French climbers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, along with a Nepali Sherpa team, successfully reached its summit, three years before Sagarmatha, the world’s highest peak, was climbed.

On June 3, the Prime Minister is scheduled to unveil half-sized statues of Maurice Herzog, Louis Lachenal, and Nepali climber Sonam Wangchuk Sherpa at the Annapurna Base Camp. Additionally, he will inaugurate an open-air museum at the base camp and the newly developed Maurice Herzog Trail linking Narchyang to the base camp.

As part of the celebration, a 30-kilometre marathon will be held. There will also be various cultural events, including traditional dance competitions and open dance performances.

“This is the first time a government-level programme is being held at the Annapurna I Base Camp, and it has greatly encouraged the people of Myagdi,” said Chitra Tilija, a member of the Annapurna Tourism Development Committee. He added that a trek to the base camp located at 4,100 metres began on Sunday, Narchyang, with both local and international guests joining the journey.