Nepal Day Celebrated with Cultural Evening
Scenes from the celebration of Nepal Day and arrival of Nepali New Year 2070. Over 300 people celebrated the night in a family-based environment and welcomed the arrival of new year 2070 Bikram Sambat.
HOUSTON: Nepalese Association of Houston (NAH) organized a social and cultural evening to celebrate Nepal Day and the arrival of Nepali New Year 2070 B.S. on April 13. During the Non-resident Nepali Conference 2010 held in Houston, Mayor Annise Parker had recognized to celebrate Nepal Day in Houston every year. Since then, NAH has been organizing various events and programs in Houston City to celebrate the tradition, culture, heritage and identity of Nepali diasporas in Houston.”Houston is home away from home for many of Nepalese now. It is a matter of our pride and pleasure to be able to celebrate our national culture in the great city of Houston every year”, said Madhukar Amatya who was re-elected as the NAH President for second term in October, last year.
This year’s Nepal Day celebration included a blood donation drive on March 30 at NAH office located in the Hillcroft area. Over 35 people donated blood during the event. Jyoti Ghimire, the coordinator of the event underscored the importance of blood drive, “blood is fundamental to human life and one of the easiest way to help to save lives”. Similarly, on April 6 Nepal Day Soccer Tournament was organized at Memorial Park where 6 Nepalese soccer teams competed in the one day event. On the eve of Nepali New Year 2070, the Nepal Day celebration was marked by children art competition, family fashion show, cultural program, and dj night at Taj Hall located in the Hillcroft area.
The children art competition theme was Angry Bird Goes to Nepal. Angry Bird has become a popular computer game that is enjoyed by millions of children and even adults around the world every day. Angry Bird-Rio, a movie based on Angry Bird that was released last year also enjoyed a great success among its fan. We want our children that are being raised here to remain connected with Nepal, and such art competition helps us the children to connect USA and Nepal creatively stated the General Secretary of NAH, Dr. Rupak Rauniar. The cultural program hosted several Nepali folk dances and recital of national songs from Nepal. Over 300 people celebrated the night in a family-based environment and welcomed the arrival of new year 2070 Bikram Sambat.
As the Nepalese community in Houston continues to grow in the Houston area, events and functions like this helps to preserve the rich South Asian culture in the city.