Losar
Losar
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The most important holiday in Tibet is Losar, which celebrates the Tibetan New Year.
Potala Palace, Tibet: historical residence of the Dalai Lamas ©
It's celebrated in February, but the exassct date varies each year according to the lunar calendar.
Losar is a three day festival. On the first day celebrations are usually restricted to the family, with the second and third days being the time to visit and exchange gifts with friends and more distant relatives.
This is also a time for Tibetans to visit monasteries and make offerings.
Losar is marked with activities that symbolise purification, and welcoming in the new.
Buildings are whitewashed and thoroughly cleaned, people wear new clothes and special food is prepared.
Buddhist monks adorn the monasteries with the finest decorations, and conduct religious ceremonies.
Rituals are performed to drive away evil spirits, and people celebrate with feasts and dancing.
The festival of Losar can be traced back to the pre-Buddhist period in Tibet.
In the times when Tibetans practiced the Bon religion, every winter a festival was held where people offered large quantities of incense to please local spirits and deities.
This festival eventually became the annual Buddhist festival we know today.