May 29 is a special day to salute the remarkable achievements of those who have faced challenges to successfully scale the world's highest peak, Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest in the West.
It is also a day for paying tribute to the mountaineers, guides, and explorers who have sacrificed their lives while climbing.
Nepal marked the 70th International Everest Day on Monday. The Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation of Nepal is leading the celebrations. The world's mountaineering community participated in the events to mark the occasion, according to wionews.com.
This year, there's a new hero, the 53-year-old Kami Rita Sherpa. Last week, he reached the summit of Qomolangma a record 28 times since his first ascent in 1994, holding the record for the most number of ascents.
"Everest Day is also a celebration of human ability to go beyond our limits, and a celebration of reaching the top of the world," said Binod Adhikari, director of the Himalayan documentary Everest Man, which chronicles Sherpa's adventures.
On May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa of Nepal reached the summit of Qomolangma.
The day of the successful ascent of the mountain peak has since been celebrated in Nepal as the Everest Day. The nation began commemorating the day after Hillary's death in 2008.
The day is also special for another reason: It is the birthday of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa.
The day aims to promote Qomolangma and Nepal, said Arbindra Prajapati, a country manager for Nepal Airlines.
According to him, sharing the world's highest peak with China, Nepal is a beautiful country with the potential to attract many foreigners, but it saw fewer tourists due to the pandemic. This kind of campaign can raise awareness about the possibilities of mountain tourism in Nepal.
"The government of Nepal has already opened many low-height peaks for mountaineering," he said. "Being a national carrier, we would like to carry guests to Nepal on our own aircraft with warm Nepali gestures and hospitality."
The day also serves as an excellent opportunity for promoting business and business tourism in Nepal, said Prakash Pun, president of Hong Kong-Nepalese Business Association.
At a celebration in Hong Kong, Kiran Kumar Gurung, the top diplomat at the consulate general of Nepal in Hong Kong and Macao, and his team screened the documentary, Everest Man.
Born in Thame, a small village in Nepal, Kami Rita hails from a family of mountaineers. His achievements have secured him a special place in the field of mountain climbing.
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