Losar
losar tibetan ལོ་སར་ wylie losar new year also known tibetan new year festival tibetan buddhism holiday celebrated various date depending location tibet bhutan nepal india tradition holiday new year festival celebrated first day lunisolar tibetan calendar corresponds date february march gregorian calendar new year commenced february celebration ran th month also commenced year male wood dragon variation festival nepal called lhosar observed eight week earlier tibetan losar losar predates arrival buddhism tibet root winter incenseburning custom bon religion tibetan new year counted current year added bce year founding yarlung dynasty reign ninth tibetan king pude gungyal said custom merged harvest festival form annual losar festival th dalai lama p frame importance consulting nechung oracle losar hundred year traditional dalai lama government consult nechung new year festival tenzin wangyal pxvii frame experience tibetan cultural practice losar relation elemental celebration offering nāga tibetan klu losar tibetan celebration new year drink champagne celebrate instead went local spring perform ritual gratitude made offering naga water spirit activated water element area made smoke offering local spirit associated natural world around u belief behavior like evolved long ago often seen primitive west projection human fear onto natural world anthropologist historian suggest way relating element originated direct experience sage common people sacred nature external internal element call element earth water fire air spacelosar celebrated city dharamsala india tibetan buddhist community losar celebrated day main celebration first three day first day losar beverage called changkol made chhaang tibetannepali equivalent beer second day losar known king losar gyalpo losar losar traditionally preceded fiveday practice vajrakilaya uyghurs adopted chinese calendar mongol tibetan adopted uyghur calendar losar occurs near day chinese new year mongolian new year tradition losar unique tibet predate indian chinese influence well sherpa associated losar enjoy losar high altitude nepal himalayan range prior chinese invasion tibet losar began morning ritual ceremony namgyal monastery led dalai lama highranking lama government official participating honor dharmapala dharmaprotector palden lhamo dalai lama exiled many monastery destroyed monk imprisoned since time tibetan buddhist practice tibet difficult observe publicly losar form part culture ladakh buddhist residing region tibet various custom associated holiday family prepare losar day advance thoroughly cleaning home decorating fragrant flower wall auspicious sign painted flour sun moon reversed swastika preparing cedar rhododendron juniper branch burning incense debt settled quarrel resolved new clothes acquired special food kapse fried twist made favorite drink chang barley beer served warm word sheep head beginning year sound similar tibetan customary fashion sheep head colored butter decoration another traditional decoration symbolizes good harvest phyemar fivegrain bucket bucket wooden board creates two vertical half within bucket filled zanba also known tsamba roasted qingke barley flour barley seed decorated barley ear colored butter losar custom bhutan similar distinct custom neighboring tibet modern celebration holiday began bhutan shabdrung ngawang namgyal commemorated completion punakha dzong inaugural ceremony bhutanese came country bring offering produce various region tradition still reflected wide variety food consumed ritual losar meal traditional food consumed occasion include sugarcane green banana considered auspicious bhutan picnicking dancing singing dartplaying archery see archery bhutan giving offering tradition dalai lama blesses many buddhist dharamsala losar young old form queue manage number people visit dalai lama temple tibetan calendar lunisolar calendar losar celebrated first third day first lunar month note rabjung wylie rab byung name year cycle tibetan calendar started ce currently th cycle note year name one translation english different term used different group note losar celebrated international community less time celebrated asia example year losar start february asia time zone may celebrated united state time zone january losar celebration normally three day galdan namchot losoong festival lunar new year nepali calendar tibetan astrology tibetan calendar lunar new year celebration lunar new year part asia south southeast asian solar new year similar asian lunisolar new year celebration occur april