Losar Festival, Ladakh

Join the people of Tibet to celebrate the Losar Festival, which marks the beginning of the New Year as per the lunar Tibetan calendar and falls around February. The actual festival takes place for 3 days, but the celebrations continue for 15 days. Tibetans celebrate the festival by preparing festive food, visiting each other, performing in events and presenting gifts to Buddhist monks to show their gratitude. 

The festival starts two days before the day of the new year and is known as Lama Losar when the Tibetans decorate their houses and gompas and prepare a grand feast. The second day is Gyalpo Losar or King’s Losar when people offer prayers in the monasteries and perform traditional rituals. On this day, they also burn firecrackers and fire torches at night. The final day of the new year is called Choe Kyong Losar or Losar Festival when they enjoy special food and participate in festivities.

• Losar festival is celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm by the people and it is the best time to witness the flavors of Tibetan culture.
• Colorful prayer flags decorate houses, monasteries and even the hills. Men, women, and children also wear their traditional attires.
• ‘Metho’, a traditional ceremony, is an important ritual where people come together hosting flaming torches and chanting sacred prayers parade through the streets to ward off evil and welcome positivity for the new year.
• A special nine dumpling soup, ‘Guthuk’ is prepared only on Losar and enjoyed together with family and friends.
• On Lama-Losar, the first day of the festival, ‘Changkoi’, a beer-based beverage is prepared and distributed among the people.

The first three days of the festival are the most significant ones with a lot of rituals going around where you will get to experience the traditions of Tibet first hand. 

Do Read: Leh Itinerary

Timings:

Calculated each year as per the Tibetan calendar, Losar can fall anytime from the end of January to the beginning of March. You can check on the internet beforehand to know about the dates of the upcoming Losar festival.

Fee:

There is no entry fee.

Tips to Know:

Best places to be a part of this annual celebration are Leh-Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling & Himachal Pradesh. The specific location for the festival is different every year.

The date of the festival is variable and changes every year as per the Tibetan calendar, so make sure you check the dates of upcoming Losar festival beforehand if you are planning to be a part of the festival.

You can purchase or rent the traditional attire from local vendors while participating in the Losar festival to feel like a part of the Tibetan culture and tradition.

Recommendation Read: Ladakh in August