Losar
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Losar (Tibetan: lo gsar) is the Tibetan word for "new year."
'Lo' means year and 'sar' means new. Losar is the most important holiday in Tibet.

* Note: The start date of Losar depends on what time zone one is in. For example, in 2005, Losar started on February 8 in U.S. time zones and February 9 in Asia time zones. Some people began celebrating Losar on February 9 in the US.

Losar is celebrated for 15 days, with the main celebrations on the first three days [note: this schedule is followed at Namdroling Monastery, India]. Losar is traditionally preceded by the five day practice of Vajrakilaya [note: this schedule is followed at Namdroling Monastery, India].

Losar rituals include painting houses, wearing new clothes, and resolving quarrels and debts. Old Tibetan prayer flags are often replaced with new ones on Losar.

Losar is celebrated on the first through third days of the first lunar month. The Tibetan calendar is a lunisolar calendar [A lunisolar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year]. Listed below as: Gregorian year 1st, Tibetan year 2nd, Losar Element and Animal 3rd.

Losar 2008
2135 February 8 - February 10 (In India Time Zones)
Male Earth Rat (Sometimes called Mouse)

Losar 2009 (In India Time Zones)
2136 January 27 - January 29
Female Earth Ox

Losar: Tibetan New Year
Out With the Old and In With the New

Losar is the name of the Tibetan New Year
In the Tibetan language, "Lo" means "New" and "Sar" means "Year". The Losar festival pre-dates Buddhism in Tibet and goes back to the time when the Bon religion held sway in that country. In those days, incense was burned every winter in purification rituals used to placate the gods. As irrigation, cultivation, and refinement techniques were introduced, Losar ceremonies became more celebratory, as a gesture of thanks to the gods for the budding innovations. Eventually with the advent of rudimentary astrology, Losar became more than a farmer’s festival,finally mutating into a Buddhist festival, celebrating the New Year.

How Is Losar Celebrated?
In the days leading up to the Tibetan New Year, as part of the purification required for the new year, new clothes are made or purchased, houses are cleaned and decorated and new Buddhist prayer flags are raised.

People usually spend the first day of Losar with members of their immediate family. They wear their new garments and eat celebratory foods such as guthuk noodles, made from cereals and dried cheese, and various types of vegetable soups. They often drink Changkol, a type of rice wine similar to Japanese sake.

Dough balls containing small hidden items, such as chilies or coal may be served to guests. Whatever you find inside your dough balls is supposed to be a light-hearted reflection of your character. A white article such as rice or salt found in your dough ball indicates that you're going to be lucky in the forthcoming year; a black article such as a small piece of coal suggests the opposite.

On the second and third days of Losar, people visit friends and other family members who don't live close by. They may also pay a visit to their local Buddhist temple, monastery or shrine and make offerings as part of the purification rituals for Losar.

Buddhist Monastery Losar Festivities
Losar is an important time for Buddhist monks. The monks spring-clean their monasteries and put up special decorations. They recite prayers and perform rituals to dissolve negativities of the old year and purify the new year. Monks also make a point of wishing good luck for the forthcoming year to the Dalai Lama.

Naming A New Year
At first sight, the naming of each Tibetan New Year appears to be a little complicated. However, the process is quite logical when you understand the naming rules.

Like the Chinese New Year, each Tibetan New Year is identified by an Animal:
hare
dragon
snake
horse
sheep
ape
bird
dog
pig
mouse
bull
tiger

In addition, each year is identified by an Element:
fire
earth
iron
water
wood

Finally, the gender alternates every other year. For example, the Tibetan year that started in February 2005 is the Female Wood Bird year. This will be followed by the Male Fire Dog year, then the Female Earth Pig year, and so on, in a sixty-year cycle.