The National Day of Nepal was celebrated last night at a reception held by the Embassy of Nepal in Israel. The event was attended by representatives of the diplomatic staff in Israel, several ambassadors, businessmen who work with Nepal, and members of the media. The State of Israel was represented by Minister Amichai Shikli.
The ceremony opened with the playing of the national anthems of Nepal and Israel, and the lighting of traditional candles. The ceremony was presided over by the first secretary, Dr. Arjun Gamiri, who explained the ceremony that in Nepal, the national day is celebrated on the “Constitution Day” set at the time of the approval of the new constitution on September 20, 2015. In Nepal there is no “Independence Day” because Nepal has been independent throughout its history, and It was conquered and ruled by other nations. Although there were internal struggles between the monarchical regime that was replaced by a republican regime, the territory of Nepal was always independent.
The embassy advisor, Nadav Ben Yehuda, shared with the audience his personal adventures from climbing Mount Annapurna in Nepal, and the history of climbing Everest, with a jokey switch. Nepalese dancers entertained the crowd with the Maruni dance.
Nepal’s ambassador to Israel, Kenta Rizal, explained that the date of Constitution Day is indicated according to the Nepali calendar, which is slightly different from the Gregorian calendar. She said the constitution was adopted by the entire Nepali people which includes minorities and tribes who speak more than a hundred languages and dialects. She happily mentioned that the diplomatic relations between Nepal and Israel have been ongoing since 1960. There are economic, agricultural, commercial and academic cooperations. For example, these days 14 students study agriculture in Israeli educational institutions.
The Minister of the Diaspora, Amichai Shikli, represented the State of Israel at the ceremony. He opened his welcome speech with his personal experience from his visit to Nepal. “It is a unique place where nature shouts, and man is silent. When you look at nature in Nepal, you cannot deny the existence of God,” said the minister.
Later in his speech he mentioned that Nepal was the first country in the Far East to recognize Israel. He praised the strong bilateral relations between the two countries in many fields. “The year 2023 looks like a potential record year in the amount of Israeli tourists visiting Nepal.” He asked the staff of the Nepalese embassy in Israel to convey to the Nepalese people the best wishes of the Israeli government for their holiday.
The ceremony was also attended by the head of the ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gil Hashakal.
The ceremony ended with a toast to the life of Nepal, after which the attendees were invited to eat Nepalese delicacies.