Losar Festival in Dharamshala

February 22, 2023

The Tibetan New Year is called the Losar. Tibetan Buddhists follow the Lunisolar calendar. The first day of the Luni Solar calendar is celebrated as Losar. The Buddhists in Nepal celebrate the same festival in the name of Lhochhar and celebrated eight weeks before Tibetan Losar. Different Indian states celebrate Losar in different ways. Recently the Tibetans in Dharamshala celebrated the festival.

Himachal Pradesh

The Tibetan Buddhists in the State of HP celebrate Losar in November. They celebrate it to mark the arrival of winter.

Arunachal Pradesh

Here the Monpa tribes celebrate Losar in February. During Losar, they clean their house and make a special offering to the local deities

Ladakh

The Tibetan Buddhists in the Ladakh region celebrate the Losar Festival in January. They follow the Tibetan lunar calendar.

Southern States

Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu celebrate their New Year in the month of April. In Kerala, the festival is called “Vishu”. In TN, it is called “Puthandu”. In AP, it is “Ugadi”.

History of Losar

Losar was actually celebrated in Tibet. It was a winter festival celebrated with a Bon. The main objective was t please the local deities. However, today Buddhists celebrate it as a thanksgiving to the gods after harvest. Also, some other Buddhists celebrate it as the new year.

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