Meaning and History
The word Losar is a Tibetan word for New Year. LO means year and SAR, nuevo. The Tibetan New Year is commemorated on the first day of the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar, which usually falls in the months of January or February., although you can also do it in March.
The Losar festival is considered the most significant of all Tibetan festivals.. This festival is also celebrated in other countries like India., Bhutan and Nepal. The Tibetan New Year is characterized by its music, dances and a general spirit of celebration. One can witness different traditions and rituals followed to mark the religious occasion.
The Losar is celebrated during 15 days, of which the first three are the most significant. Buddhists celebrate the festival as a victory of good over evil. Symbolizing purification and freshness, Losar is a time to have great parties and celebrations.
Unloads: Tibetan New Year
The celebration of Losar dates back to the pre-Buddhist period of Tibet, when Tibetans practiced the bon religion, then a spiritual ceremony was performed, in which large quantities of incense were offered to appease local spirits, deities and protectors. Losar is celebrated even now with great fervor among Tibetans who practice bon, even in exile. This religious festival later evolved into an annual Buddhist festival believed to have originated during the Pude Gungyal kingdom., the ninth King of Tibet.
The festival is said to have started when an elderly woman named Belma introduced the measurement of time based on the phases of the moon.. This festival took place during the flowering of apricot trees in the Lhokha Yarla Shampo region in autumn., and may have been the first celebration of what has become the traditional farmers' festival. It was during that period that the cultivation arts, irrigation, iron refining and bridge building were introduced to Tibet. The ceremonies that were instituted to celebrate these new abilities can be recognized as precursors to the Losar festival.. Later when the rudiments of the science of astrology, based on the five elements, were introduced into Tibet, This farmers festival became what we call the Losar or New Year festival.
How the Tibetan New Year is Celebrated
One month before the festival arrives, people focus on cleaning their house meticulously, removing every particle of dust and leaving everything new. The most attractive and fine decorations are placed throughout the house and elaborate offerings are made at the family altar.. Old prayer flags are replaced with colorful ones. New clothes are made for all family members. Eight different auspicious symbols are displayed wherever possible, representing the different offerings made by the gods to the Buddha, after his enlightenment. In Tibet these symbols are drawn on the walls, practice that is not followed in exile since professional artists are needed to do it. Very good food is also cooked at Losar.. The first days are dedicated to the family, passing the festivities then to the streets and other places.
in the monasteries, monks honor protective deities with devotional rituals.
On the eve of the Tibetan New Year, cake, sweets, breads and fruits are offered on the family altars. The family altar is decorated in the best way on Vespers and will continue to be so in the following years. 15 days. The altar will have a depth, made up of cookies (khapsay) stacked on top of each other, that are prepared with flattened dough, They are fried and have many different shapes. Along with the derga, there will be a bottle of chang (barley beer); a tuft of green wheat leaves grown in a small glass called loboe; a kind of two-part funnel, called bow, which has on one side tsampa (barley flour) and on the other barley seeds.
Being the most significant festival for Tibetans and the biggest celebration of the year, It is a time when they exchange warm greetings with their families., neighbors and everyone around. Tibetans consider Losar a mass celebration, of complete relaxation and with many parties. Tibetans offer katas (traditional white silk scarves) to family altars and in monasteries. They put these scarves on each other while greeting each other with a tashi delek (good wishes), with which prosperity is predicted for the coming year.
Tibetans follow the culture of welcoming their guests with a kind heart and great hospitality.. On this special occasion, the values cultivated are highly notable. Tibetans believe that one has to have great kindness, be generous and welcoming on this religious occasion. The character of the person will determine what the person will be like throughout the year.. Therefore, All Buddhists are required to be in a cheerful and bright mood., so you will be blessed with good and happy expressions all year round.-
