The Newar community in Nepal is observing the Mha Puja ritual in the evening. Mha Puja is the worship of the self. Mha Puja is based on the religious belief that the soul or self is the most important in the world and that if the soul is satisfied, the gods are also satisfied, and one’s life becomes meaningful and prosperous. This day is celebrated especially as the new year of Nepal Sambat and as a special festival by the majority Newar population residing in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Banepa, Dhulikhel, Bahrabise and Dolakha.

Meanwhile, the people of the Newar community have been celebrating the Nepal Sambat as a New Year’s Day at present. The Nepal Sambat is an indigenous calendar of Nepal. Shankhadhar Sakhwa began The Nepal Sambat or calendar year by relieving the people of Nepal of their debt during the rule of Lichchhavi King Raghavdev in 880 AD. Recognising the contribution of Shankhadhar Sakhwa to the country and its people, the government announced Sakhwa as a national luminary on November 18, 1999.