Sherpa

Sherpa

Most of the Sherpa people are found in Sagarmatha zone. They are mainly

found in the eastern part of Nepal, although their homeland is traditionally the

district of Solukhumbu.

Solukhumbu Sherpas are among the best known Himalayan people. Most of

the Sherpa people are engaged in Tourism. The scope of Sherpa employment as

guides and high altitude porters is gradually increasing as the numbers of

tourists and expeditions, increases yearly. Recently more and more Sherpas are

being employed as guides to trekkers. The Sherpa economy is directly related

to their mountain environment, and falls into four distinct categories: field

agriculture, animal husbandry, trade and a recent innovation- mountaineering.

Sherpa people are from Buddhism background. They worship Buddha in the

monastries. Also they have close affinity with Tibetan language, culture and

religion. Sherpas observe a number of colorful festivals during the year. Most

important of them are Losar and Dumdze. Losar is observed to celebrate the

new year. According to the Tibetan calender the new year begins sometimes

toward the end of February. Sherpas celebrate the festival with lots of feasting,

drinking, singing and dancing.