Losar - Tibetan New Year
- by Caroline
- Last Updated: 2022-02-23
Tibetan people call Tibetan New Year “Losar”. Losar is not one word in the Tibetan language. Actually, it consists of two Tibetan words - “Lo” means year, and “Sar” means new. Losar is calculated based on the Tibetan calendar. It starts from the 1st of the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar and lasts for fifteen days. In 2022, Losar falls on March 3.
Losar is the most important traditional festival of the year, and it is also the first Tibetan festival. At that time, each Tibetan family would reunite together to hold a variety of activities to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, which is very lively. As the local people believe in Tibetan Buddhism, many customs of Tibetan Losar are related to Tibetan Buddhism and the festival is permeated with a strong religious atmosphere.
- Chinese name: 藏历年
- Tibetan name: Losar
- Time: January 1 to 15 in the Tibetan calendar
- Area: Lhasa, Tibet
- Origin: Offer sacrifices
- Meaning: Pray for a good harvest in the coming year
When is Losar Celebrated?
All the Tibetan festivals are based on the Tibetan calendar, so is the Losar. This festival starts from the middle of December in the Tibetan calendar to the 15th day of the first lunar month. The preparatory period is the preparation process. From the first day of the first lunar month to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the festival period.
Historical Origin of Losar
Dated back to the old times, when there was no Tibetan Buddhism yet, Tibet was controlled by its original religion Bon. The ancient people had a big celebration in winter. They prayed for protection from deities. As time passed, this event was absorbed by Tibetan Buddhism and became an annual festival. In the 13th century, during the reign of the Sakya Dynasty, January 1st was set as the beginning of the new year, which means the King's New Year. From then on, Losar has officially become an important traditional festival in Tibet and continues to this day.
Folk Activities of Losar
The biggest difference between the Losar and the Chinese New Year is the continuous chanting as Tibet is a religious place where almost all people have faith in Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan people believe that evil demons exist everywhere. So, at Losar Festival, there is a very important activity for dislodging evil. They dress up in their folk costumes, chant Buddhist scripture and pass fire torches on the street. Expel the evil while praying for good luck and blessing for the coming new year.
Besides the above activities, there is another interesting one, the antimasque. For example, the deer dance, or the funny fight between the king and his subordinates, which can make people laugh out loud.
In one world, Losar Festival is a celebration full of music, dance, and joy.
Preparation of Losar
Tibetan people will have a thorough sweep up to make sure everywhere in the house is clean enough, especially the kitchen. It implies to clean away the dirt or the bad luck of the old year and ready to greet the new year. Tibetan people consider the kitchen is the most important part of the house because the food is made there. So, they will pay particular attention to it when cleaning the house, even the chimney will be swept dirtless.
How is Losar Celebrated?
There are three days in total to celebrate Losar Festival. So, what will the Tibetan people do?
New Year's Eve
Gutu is a Dough Balls, of which the skin is made of highland barley powder and the filling is various stuff, such as rice, salt, chilies, wool, or coal, etc. Don’t be surprised with the stuffing. They have meanings. The Dough Balls will be handed out after cooked. If someone eats rice or salt in the ball, it’s a good sign to get fortunate in the near future. This is both a kind of divination and entertainment, which makes the whole family happy.
After Gutu Gutu Banquet, there's an exorcism ritual. The male host lights the torch and turns around in every corner of the house, shouting "Get out, get out..." and then throw the torch and the prepared ghost food at the intersection to drive out the year's unsatisfactory and bad luck.
Losar Day 1
Losar Day 2
Losar Day 3
After the 3-day celebration, the Tibetan Losar will continue to be celebrated until the fifteenth of the first month of the Tibetan calendar.
The Timetable of Tibetan New Years
Year | Tibetan New Year Falls On |
2015 | February. 19th |
2016 | February. 9th |
2017 | February. 27th |
2018 | February. 26th |
2019 | February. 5th |
2020 | February. 24th |
2021 | February. 12th |
2022 | March. 3rd |
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Typically Asked Questions from Our Clients
Asked by Pr***
2019-12-09
Kindly let me know what kind oof hotels , air travel etc be used during great Tibet tour ? Thanks
In your inquiry, you mentioned you would like to view the Losar festival in 2020. Tibetan new year festival starts on Feb.24th. I suggest you arrive in Lhasa at the latest on 23rd. There are three days total to celebrate Losar Festival. How long do you plan to spend in Tibet? And how many people are there? Air travel is a popular way for foreigners. We can help you book the air ticket. Please identify a stopover city in China first, like Beijing, Chengdu, Xi'an, etc. There will be a direct flight from these cities to Lhasa. After you identify the stopover city, you can decide on the flight schedule. For hotels in Lhasa, an economic 3-star hotel, comfortable 4-star hotel, and luxury 5-star hotel are available. Both the 3-star & 4-star accommodations we arrange for our clients have good locations and services. But Tibet relatively lags behind other provinces in China. Thus, the quality of accommodation is not the same as in Beijing, Shanghai or Chengdu. The 4-star accommodations are more comfortable with better facilities and environment. So, I suggest you choose the 4-star or 5-star class if your budget is not tight. Here is the hotel list for your reference, https://www.greattibettour.com/tibet-hotels
Asked by Andr***
2019-11-30
Greetings from Alaska. My wife, my daughter (4 years old), and myself would like to travel to Lhasa for Losar in 2020. We already purchased our flights to Shanghai. Now we start the process of submitting paperwork for Chinese VISA. We have some questions: 1) When we submit for Chinese VISA, should we specify we also plan on traveling to Tibet? 2) Is there an additional process for gaining permit to Tibet? Thank you, we look forward to hearing from you, Andrew
In your inquiry, you mentioned you would like to travel to Lhasa for Losar in 2020. We can arrange a tour for your family. Tibetan new year starting from Feb.24th, you can take a train or plane from Shanghai directly to Lhasa. When do you plan to arrive in Shanghai and how many days do you plan to spend in Tibet? To answer your questions, 1) When we submit for Chinese VISA, should we specify we also plan on traveling to Tibet? Please don't mention Tibet in your application. For sometimes, the China embassy may request you to present Tibet Tourism Bureau Permit (TTB); but here in Lhasa, we have to have China Visa first to apply the TTB permit for you. so really, it's an egg-and-chicken bureaucratic error. Therefore, it's best that you don't mention Tibet while applying for a China visa. 2) Is there an additional process for gaining a permit to Tibet? Yes, please book your Tibet tour with us first; then we will request a copy of your passport and China visa to apply for a permit from the Tibet tourism bureau. After the permit is issued for your family, we will either express it or email a copy to you.