Tibetan New Year is the most celebrated festival in Tibet. Local called it Losar which means New Year. The New Year festival is celebrated on the first day of the Lunar Tibetan calendar, which corresponds to a date in February or March in the Gregorian calendar. For 2023, the Tibetan New Year is on the 21st of February and runs until the 8th of March.
Background
The Losar festival predates the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet but the root festival originated from the winter incense-burning custom of the Bon religion. Later, these customs merged with the harvest festival to form the annual Losar festival but the harvest festival still considers Losar in some parts of the Tibetan region, some are called Amdo Losar or Sonampe Losar (which means farmer’s New Year). Most of the rural Tibetan Region celebrates the Farmer’s new year, which corresponds to the Chinese New Year.
How do we prepare for Losar?
All families prepare for Losar some days in advance by thoroughly cleaning their homes and surroundings, decorating with flowers, repainting the walls with auspicious signs, and assembling offering items in the prayer room.
The new clothes are acquired and prepare special snacks such as Kapse (fried twisted flours), and barley beer which is served warm. They prepared Chemar which contains grain and Tsampa in the bucket symbolizes a good harvest for the new year. They buy handmade sheep’s head decorated with colored butter to display in the prayer which represents the beginning of the year as good luck.
At the monasteries, they prepare mask dances and huge ritual displays at their monastery prayer hall. Two days before the Losar festival, the final mask dance will perform, and burns the ritual objects which symbolize the elimination of all the obstacles of the year.
How do we celebrate our Losar?
Losar festival is celebrated for 15 days but the main celebrations are on the first three days. On the first day of Losar also known as Lama Losar, people visit monasteries and receive blessings from the local Lamas or Rinpoches.
They also visit sacred pilgrim sites. The second day of Losar is known as Gyalpo Losar (King Losar). In ancient times, locals show appreciation to their local kings and officials, but nowadays, it’s time to gather their close relatives. On the third day of the Losar festival, the locals climb high mountains to offer incense burning for the local deities. The rest of the festival days are gathering with friends and families.
The 15th day of the Losar festival is considered the most sacred day. On that, all the monasteries organize huge prayer gatherings known as Chongachoepa which is the great offering day. That’ll be the last day of the Losar festival.