Nepalis celebrate arrival of national New Year in Sulaimani
SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region - More than 600 Nepalis living in the Kurdistan Region gathered together over the weekend in Sulaimani to celebrate their Sonam Losar new year festivity.
Wearing colorful traditional outfits, Nepalis celebrated the national festival while sending their best wishes to their loved ones back home.
"This is our feast, like your Newroz festival [Kurdish new year]. We held a party here to mark our new year. We have cooked Nepali food. What I am wearing is the Nepali traditional clothing," Sabita Sirisha, a Nepali national in Sulaimani told Rudaw’s Horvan Rafaat.
Sonam Lhosar is a new year festival of the Tamang and Hyolmo people of Nepal and the Sikkim and Darjeeling regions of India.
"I congratulate all Nepalis on this occasion," said Somlomo Kuisang, another Nepali national who has been living in Sulaimani for the past seven years. "I wish my parents and siblings a happy new year. We live abroad, we live in Kurdistan. Just like Nepal, we have gathered here congratulating each other on this day."
This is the seventh consecutive year that this festival has been organized for the Nepalis in Sulaimani by the Foreign Laborers Organization in the Kurdistan Region.
"We have always been with them during happy and sad moments. I believe we could show the beautiful face of Kurdistan to the outside world," Mohammed Hazhar, head of the Foreign Workers Culture and Defense Organization told Rudaw. "Kurds do not consider anyone a foreigner who lives among us and that our doors are open."
"We honor coexistence and put the protection of human rights above all the other things."
There are an estimated 37,000 registered foreign workers in the Kurdistan Region, according to the Kurdish labor rights watchdog, with a large number coming from Nepal.
Wearing colorful traditional outfits, Nepalis celebrated the national festival while sending their best wishes to their loved ones back home.
"This is our feast, like your Newroz festival [Kurdish new year]. We held a party here to mark our new year. We have cooked Nepali food. What I am wearing is the Nepali traditional clothing," Sabita Sirisha, a Nepali national in Sulaimani told Rudaw’s Horvan Rafaat.
Sonam Lhosar is a new year festival of the Tamang and Hyolmo people of Nepal and the Sikkim and Darjeeling regions of India.
"I congratulate all Nepalis on this occasion," said Somlomo Kuisang, another Nepali national who has been living in Sulaimani for the past seven years. "I wish my parents and siblings a happy new year. We live abroad, we live in Kurdistan. Just like Nepal, we have gathered here congratulating each other on this day."
This is the seventh consecutive year that this festival has been organized for the Nepalis in Sulaimani by the Foreign Laborers Organization in the Kurdistan Region.
"We have always been with them during happy and sad moments. I believe we could show the beautiful face of Kurdistan to the outside world," Mohammed Hazhar, head of the Foreign Workers Culture and Defense Organization told Rudaw. "Kurds do not consider anyone a foreigner who lives among us and that our doors are open."
"We honor coexistence and put the protection of human rights above all the other things."
There are an estimated 37,000 registered foreign workers in the Kurdistan Region, according to the Kurdish labor rights watchdog, with a large number coming from Nepal.