Misplaced Pages

Losar: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from[REDACTED] with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 23:47, 21 September 2017 edit137.147.33.208 (talk) Undid revision 801774914 by Neutrality (talk) What sources are at fault? Why are you removing information on the zodiacs and Bhutanese traditions?← Previous edit Revision as of 01:23, 22 September 2017 edit undoNeutrality (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators165,472 edits rvt; vast majority of this is unsourced or poorly sourced (e.g., defunct website called ".buddhapia.com"), and you again inexplicably removed well-sourced contentNext edit →
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2017}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{distinguish|loser (disambiguation){{!}}loser}}
{{For|other traditions of celebrating the lunar new year|Lunar New Year (disambiguation)}} {{For|other traditions of celebrating the lunar new year|Lunar New Year (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox holiday | {{Infobox holiday |
Line 6: Line 7:
|imagesize = |imagesize =
|caption = |caption =
|nickname = Tibetan New Year<br/> Lhochhar<br/> ]
|nickname = Lunar New Year <small>(as a collective term including other Asian Lunar New Year festivals, used outside of Asia.)</small><br/> Tibetan New Year<br/> Lhochhar
|observedby = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], certain other ] peoples and their diasporas |observedby = ],],]s
|date2012 = January 23, ]
|date2013 = February 10, ]
|date2014 = January 31, ]
|date2015 = February 19, ]
|date2016 = February 9, ]
|date2017 = February 27, ]{{efn-ua|In the Tibetan and Gurung zodiac, the bird is the seventh and tenth zodiac, respectively, and thus will be considered the "Year of the Bird". The Gurungs celebrated the "Year of the Bird" in December 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ahmc.ngalso.net/2014/01/28/tibetan-astrology-table-of-year-animal-element-2/?lang=en |title=Tibetan Astrology – Table of Year-Animal-Element &#124; Albagnano Healing Meditation Centre |website=Ahmc.ngalso.net |date=2014-01-28 |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref> The Tamang will celebrate Sonam Losar - The Year of the Rooster on January 29, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/nepal/2017 |title=Holidays and observances in Nepal in 2017 |website=Timeanddate.com |date=2016-12-31 |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref>}}
|date2018 = February 16, ]
|date2019 = February 5, ]{{efn-ua|In the Tibetan zodiac, the boar is the ninth zodiac and thus will be considered the "Year of the Boar". In the Gurung zodiac, the deer is the twelfth zodiac and thus will be considered the "Year of the Deer". The Gurungs will celebrate the "Year of the Deer" in December 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ecs.com.np/culture/tamu-gurung-losar-festival |title=Tamu (Gurung) Losar Festival &#124; Culture &#124; ECSNEPAL - The Nepali Way |website=Ecs.com.np |date=2010-07-11 |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref>}}
|date2020 = January 25, ]
|date2021 =
|frequency= Annual |frequency= Annual
|duration=15 days |duration=15 days
|type = Asian festival |type = New year festival
|longtype = ], ] |longtype = ], ]
|significance = |significance =
|relatedto = ], ], ], ], ] |relatedto = Other Asian ] festivals
}} }}
{{Tibetan Buddhism}} {{Tibetan Buddhism}}
'''Losar''' ({{Bo|t=ལོ་གསར་|w=lo-gsar}}) is the ] word for "new year". ''lo'' holds the ] "year, age"; ''sar'' holds the semantic field "new, fresh".{{citation needed|date=May 2014}} Losar is an important holiday in ], ] and for certain ethnic groups in ] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/holydays/losar.shtml |title=Religions - Buddhism: Losar |publisher=] |date= |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sah |first=Dipak |url=http://imnepal.com/losar-festival-nepal-tamu-sherpa-gyalpo/ |title=Losar Festival Nepal : Tamu, Sherpa, Tibetan, Gyalpo Lhosar |website=Imnepal.com |date= |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref> Before the Tibetan New Year, "Nam-Ghang" is celebrated on the eve of the last night of the year.


'''Losar''' ({{Bo|t=ལོ་གསར་|w=lo-gsar}}; "new year"<ref name="Crump">William D. Crump, "Losar" in ''Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide'' (McFarland & Co.: 2008), pp. 237-38.</ref>) is a festival in ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/holydays/losar.shtml |title=Buddhism: Losar |publisher=] |date=September 8, 2004}}</ref> The holiday is celebrated on various dates depending on location (], ] and ]) and tradition.<ref>Peter Glen Harle, (Ph.D dissertation: ], 2003), p. 132: "In Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and other areas where Tibetan Buddhism is practiced, the dates for Losar are often calculated locally, and often vary from region.".</ref><ref>William D. Crump, ''Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide'' (McFarland & Co.: 2008), pp. 237: ""Different traditions have observed Losar on different dates."</ref> The holiday is a ]'s festival, celebrated on the first day of the ] ], which corresponds to a date in February or March in the ].<ref name="Crump"/>
Losar is celebrated for 15 days, with the main celebrations on the first three days. On the first day of Losar, a beverage called ''changkol'' is made from '']'' (a Tibetan cousin of ]). The second day of Losar is known as King's Losar ''(gyalpo losar)''. Losar is traditionally preceded by the five-day practice of ]. Because the ] adopted the ], and the Mongols and Tibetans adopted the Uyghur calendar,<ref>{{cite book | title = Tibetan and Buddhist Studies: Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Alexander Csoma De Koros, Volume 2 | publisher = University of California Press | year = 1984 | isbn = 9789630535731 | first = Louis | last = Ligeti | pages = 344}}</ref> Losar occurs near or on the same day as the ] and the ], but the traditions of Losar are unique to Tibet, and predate both Indian and Chinese influences. Originally, ancient celebrations of Losar occurred solely on the ], and was only moved to coincide with the Chinese and Mongolian New Year by a leader of the ] school of Buddhism.<ref>{{cite book | title = Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Part 10 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dA9h8XGtRPQC&pg=PA892#v=onepage&q&f=false| publisher = Kessinger Publishing | year = 2003 | isbn = 9780766136823 | first = James | last = Hastings | pages = 892}}</ref>


The variation of the festival in Nepal is called '''''Lhochhar''''' and is observed about eight weeks earlier than the Tibetan Losar.<ref>: ''Proceedings of the International Association of Tibetan Studies'', Oxford, 2003, p. 121: "Yet though their Lhochhar is observed about eight weeks earlier than the Tibetan Losar, the festival is clearly borrowed, and their practice of Buddhism comes increasingly in a Tibetan idiom."</ref>
Losar is also celebrated by ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and certain other ] people although different regions of the Himalayan countries have their own respective new year celebrations as well. Losar is also celebrated by ] worldwide. Yolmo Losar is observed on the same day as of the Chinese New Year.

Dates vary between different ethnic groups, the Tamang New Year of "Sonam Losar", for instance, coincides with Chinese New Year occurring one day later, while the Gurung New Year or "Tamu Losar" occurs in December each year, the Tibetans, Bhutanese and other groups' Losar celebrations often fall around Chinese New Year or a month later.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/nepal/sonam-losar |title=Sonam Losar (Tamang New Year) in Nepal |website=Timeanddate.com |date=2016-12-31 |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref>


==History== ==History==
] ]
Losar predates the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet and has its roots in a winter ]-burning custom of the ]. During the reign of the ninth Tibetan king, Pude Gungyal (617-698), it is said that this custom merged with a ] to form the annual Losar festival.<ref name="Crump"/>

The celebration of Losar predates ] in Tibet and can be traced back to the pre-Buddhist ] period. In this early Bön tradition, every winter a spiritual ceremony was held, in which people offered large quantities of ] to appease the local spirits, deities and 'protectors' (Tibetan: '''' Sanskrit: '']s''). This religious festival later evolved into an annual Buddhist festival which is believed to have originated during the reign of ], the ninth ]{{disambiguation needed|date=January 2016}}. The festival is said to have begun when an old woman named Belma introduced the measurement of time based on the phases of the moon. This festival took place during the flowering of the apricot trees of the ] region in autumn, and it may have been the first celebration of what has become the traditional farmers' festival. It was during this period that the arts of cultivation, irrigation, refining iron from ore and building bridges were first introduced in Tibet. The ceremonies which were instituted to celebrate these new capabilities can be recognized as precursors of the Losar festival. Later when the rudiments of astrology, based on the five elements, were introduced in Tibet, this farmer's festival became what we now call the Losar or New Year's festival.

Losar is also known as Bal Gyal Lo. Bal is Tibet, Gyal is King, Lo is year. The Tibetan new year has been celebrated since the first King's enthronement celebration. It was started with the first King. That was why it has been known as Bal Gyal Lo.


The ] (1998: p.&nbsp;233) frames the importance of consulting the ] for Losar: The ] (1998: p.&nbsp;233) frames the importance of consulting the ] for Losar:
{{Quotation|For hundreds of years now, it has been traditional for the Dalai Lama, and the Government, to consult Nechung during the New Year festivals.<ref>Gyatso, Tenzin (1988). ''Freedom in Exile: the Autobiography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet.'' Fully revised and updated. Lancaster Place, London, UK: Abacus Books (A Division of Little, Brown and Company UK). ISBN 0-349-11111-1</ref>}} {{Quotation|For hundreds of years now, it has been traditional for the Dalai Lama, and the Government, to consult Nechung during the New Year festivals.<ref>Gyatso, Tenzin (1988). ''Freedom in Exile: the Autobiography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet'' (rev. ed.: ], London. {{ISBN|0-349-11111-1}}</ref>}}


] (2002: p.xvii) frames his experience of Tibetan cultural practice of Losar in relation to elemental celebrations and offerings to ] (Tibetan: ''Klu''):<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/klu |title=klu - Rangjung Yeshe Wiki - Dharma Dictionnary |website=Rywiki.tsadra.org |date=2006-10-08 |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref> ] (2002: p.xvii) frames his experience of Tibetan cultural practice of Losar in relation to elemental celebrations and offerings to ] (Tibetan: ''Klu''):
{{Quotation|During Losar, the Tibetan celebration of the new year, we did not drink champagne to celebrate. Instead, we went to the local spring to perform a ritual of gratitude. We made offerings to the ''nagas'', the water spirits who activated the water element in the area. We made smoke offerings to the local spirits associated with the natural world around us. Beliefs and behaviors like ours evolved long ago and are often seen as primitive in the West. But they are not only projections of human fears onto the natural world, as some anthropologists and historians suggest. Our way of relating to the elements originated in the direct experiences by our sages and common people of the sacred nature of the external and internal elements. We call these elements earth, water, fire, air, and space.<ref>] (2002). ''Healing with Form, Energy, and Light''. Ithaca, New York: ]. ISBN 1-55939-176-6</ref>}} {{Quotation|During Losar, the Tibetan celebration of the new year, we did not drink champagne to celebrate. Instead, we went to the local spring to perform a ritual of gratitude. We made offerings to the ''nagas'', the water spirits who activated the water element in the area. We made smoke offerings to the local spirits associated with the natural world around us. Beliefs and behaviors like ours evolved long ago and are often seen as primitive in the West. But they are not only projections of human fears onto the natural world, as some anthropologists and historians suggest. Our way of relating to the elements originated in the direct experiences by our sages and common people of the sacred nature of the external and internal elements. We call these elements earth, water, fire, air, and space.<ref>] (2002). ''Healing with Form, Energy, and Light''. Ithaca, New York: ]. {{ISBN|1-55939-176-6}}</ref>}}


==Practice==
{{ref improve|section|date=February 2017}}
] being performed in ] during the ] of Losar]] ] being performed in ] during the ] of Losar]]


==Practice==
The Tibetan ] is made up of twelve lunar months and Losar begins on the first day of the first month. In the monasteries, the celebrations for the Losar begin on the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth month. That is the day before the Tibetan New Year's Eve. On that day the monasteries do a protector deities' ] (a special kind of ritual) and begin preparations for the Losar celebrations. The custom that day is to make special noodle called ]. It is made of nine different ingredients including dried cheese and various grains. Also, dough balls are given out with various ingredients hidden in them such as chilies, salt, wool, rice and coal. The ingredients one finds hidden in one's dough ball are supposed to be a lighthearted comment on one's character. If a person finds chilies in their dough, it means they are talkative. If white-colored ingredients like salt, wool or rice are inside the dough it is considered a good sign. If a person finds coal in the dough it means you have a "]{{dn|date=February 2017}}".
Losar is celebrated for 15 days, with the main celebrations on the first three days. On the first day of Losar, a beverage called ''changkol'' is made from '']'' (a Tibetan cousin of ]). The second day of Losar is known as King's Losar ''(gyalpo losar)''. Losar is traditionally preceded by the five-day practice of ]. Because the ] adopted the ], and the Mongols and Tibetans adopted the Uyghur calendar,<ref>{{cite book | title = Tibetan and Buddhist Studies: Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Alexander Csoma De Koros|volume=2| publisher = University of California Press | year = 1984 | isbn = 9789630535731 | first = Louis | last = Ligeti | pages = 344}}</ref> Losar occurs near or on the same day as the ] and the ], but the traditions of Losar are unique to Tibet, and predate both Indian and Chinese influences. Originally, ancient celebrations of Losar occurred solely on the ], and was only moved to coincide with the Chinese and Mongolian New Year by a leader of the ] school of Buddhism.<ref>{{cite book | title = Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Part 10|publisher = Kessinger Publishing | year = 2003 | isbn = 9780766136823 | first = James | last = Hastings | pages = 892}}</ref>

The last day of the year is a time to clean and prepare for the approaching New Year.<ref>, Hayagriva.org.au</ref> In the monasteries it is a day of preparations. The finest decorations are put up and elaborate offerings are made called "Lama Losar". In the early dawn of this day, the monks of ] offer a sacrificial cake (Tibetan: ''tor ma'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/tor_ma |title=tor ma - Rangjung Yeshe Wiki - Dharma Dictionnary |website=Rywiki.tsadra.org |date=2005-12-28 |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref> on top of the main temple (Potala in Tibet) to the supreme hierarchy of Dharma protectors, the glorious goddess ]. Led by the ], the abbots of three great monasteries, lamas, reincarnated monks or ], government officials and dignitaries join the ceremony and offer their contemplative prayers, while the monks of Namgyal Monastery recite the invocation of Palden Lhamo. After the completion of this ceremony, all assemble in the hall called Excellence of Samsara and Nirvana for a formal greeting ceremony. Seated on his or her respective cushions, everyone exchanges the traditional greeting, "]".

In order to wish the ] good luck for the coming year, consecrated sacred pills (Tibetan: ''ril bu'') made out of roasted barley dough are offered to him by the representatives of the three great monasteries, the two Tantric Colleges, etc. Then entertainers (garma) perform a dance of good wishes. And two senior monks stage a debate on Buddhist philosophy, and conclude their debate with an auspicious recitation composed especially for the event, in which the whole spectrum of Buddhist teaching is first briefly reviewed. A request is made to the Dalai Lama and to all holders of the doctrine to remain for a long time amongst beings in '']'' (Sanskrit) in order to serve them through their enlightened activities. The official ceremony of the day then concludes with a ceremonial farewell to the His Holiness, who then retires to his palace.

The second day of Losar is known as King's Losar ''(gyal-po lo-sar)'' because officially the day is reserved for a secular gathering in the hall of Excellence of Samsara and Nirvana. His Holiness and his government exchange greetings with both monastic and lay dignitaries, such as representatives of India, Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia and other foreign visitors.

Then from the third day onwards, the people and monks begin to celebrate and enjoy the festive season. In many parts of Tibet, Losar is celebrated for fifteen days or more. In India it is celebrated for three days. In other countries celebrations may be as little as one day.

The Losar is also celebrated in Nepal and India as well, where there is a strong concentration of the Buddhist population in the northern region of Nepal and Indian states like ], ], ] and ] in ].<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.leh-ladakh.com/galdan-namchot-losar.html |title=Galdan Namchot and Losar - Leh Ladakh Holidays,Leh Ladakh Holiday |website=Leh-ladakh.com |date= |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref> The ] of ] and the ] of the ] valley of ] celebrate Losar. Yet the ] of ] celebrate Losar one month earlier than the other Losar-celebrating peoples.

] states that:
{{Quotation|It is time again for Tibetans around the world to celebrate their Losar; this time- the Year of the Earth Mouse 2135.

Tibetans and a section of Buddhists around the world will celebrate Losar on Thursday, February 7, 2008. The celebration normally lasts for three days, and it all means time for greetings, togetherness and abundant festivities, and time for prayers as well.<ref>, Buddhapia.com accessed: Losar, 2008</ref>}}

==Dates==
The ] is a ]. Losar is celebrated on the first through third days of the first ].


Prior to the ] in 1950, Losar began with a morning ritual ceremony at ], led by the ] and other high-ranking ]s, with government officials participating, to honor the ] (dharma-protector) ].<ref name="Melton">], "Losar" in ''Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations'', Vol. 1 (ABC-CLIO), 2011), pp. 530-31.</ref> After the Dalai Lama was exiled, many monasteries were dissolved during the ]. Since that time, Tibetan Buddhism practice in Tibet has been somewhat restored, and "Losar is now celebrated, though without the former ceremonies surrounding the person of the Dalai Lama."<ref name="Melton"/>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!]
! Year of Rabjung 60-year Cycle
!]
!Losar Date***
!Gender, Element, and Animal
|-
|2008
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 22||2135
|February 7
|Male Earth Mouse/Rat**
|-
|2009
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 23||2136
|February 25
|Female Earth Ox<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kalacakra.org/calendar/kcal.htm |title=Kālacakra Calendar |website=Kalacakra.org |date=2013-07-27 |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref>
|-
|2010
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 24||2137
|February 14
|Male Iron Tiger<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jewelheart.org/calendar/february.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2010-01-11 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308130130/http://www.jewelheart.org/calendar/february.html |archivedate=March 8, 2010 |df= }}</ref>
|-
|2011
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 25||2138
|March 5
|Female Iron Hare/Rabbit**<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tibet-info.net/www/Losar-Nouvel-An-tibetain-en-2011.html?lang=fr |title=Losar, Nouvel An tibétain en 2011 : année 2138 du Lièvre de Fer |website=Tibet-info.net |date= |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref>
|-
|2012
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 26||2139
|February 22
|Male Water Dragon
|-
|2013
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 27||2140
|February 11
|Female Water Snake
|-
|2014
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 28||2141
|March 2
|Male Wood Horse
|-
|2015
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 29||2142
|February 18/19
|Female Wood Sheep/Goat**
|-
|2016
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 30||2143
|February 9 <ref>{{cite web|title=Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute|url=http://www.men-tsee-khang.org/calendar|website=Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute|accessdate=January 27, 2016}}</ref>
|Male Fire Monkey
|-
|2017
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 31||2144
|February 27
|Female Fire Bird/Rooster**
|-
|2018
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 32||2145
|February 16
|Male Earth Dog
|-
|2019
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 33||2146
|February 5
|Female Earth Pig/Boar**
|-
|2020
|''rab byung'' 17 ''lo'' 34||2147
|February 24
|Male Iron Mouse/Rat**
|}


In Tibet, various customs are associated with the holiday:
: * Note: ] (Wylie: rab byung) is the name of the 60-year cycle of the Tibetan calendar that started in 1027 CE, and is currently in its 17th cycle.
: ** Note: These year names have more than one translation into English with differerent terms used by different groups.
: *** Note: Losar is celebrated by some international communities at more or less the same time it is celebrated in Asia. For example, for a year when Losar starts on February 1 in Asia time zones, it may be celebrated by some in United States time zones on January 31. Losar celebrations are normally for three days.


{{quote|Families prepare for ''Losar'' some days in advance by thoroughly cleaning their homes; decorating with fragrant flowers and their walls with auspicious signs painted in flour such as the sun, moon, or a reversed ]; and preparing ], ], and ] branches for burning as incense. Debts are settled, quarrels are resolved, new clothes are acquired, and special foods such as ''kapse'' (fried twists) are made. A favorite drink is '']'' (barley beer) which is served warm. Because the words "sheep's head" and "beginning of the year" sound similar in Tibetan, it is customary to fashion a sheep's head from colored butter as a decoration. Another traditional decoration that symbolizes a good harvest is the ''phyemar'' ("five-grain bucket"), a bucket with a wooden board that creates two vertical halves within. This bucket is filled with ''zanba'' (also known as ''tsamba'', roasted ''qingke'' barley flour) and barley seeds, then decorated with barley ears and colored butter.<ref name="Crump"/>}}
== Notes ==
{{notelist-ua}}


Losar customs in Bhutan are similar to, but distinct from, customs in neighboring Tibet.<ref name="Mayer">James Mayer, , ], ] (February 15, 2013).</ref> Modern celebration of the holiday began in Bhutan in 1637, when ] commemorated the completition of the ] with an inaugural ceremony, in which "Bhutanese came from all over the country to bring offerings of produce from their various regions, a tradition that is still reflected in the wide variety of foods consumed during the ritual Losar meals."<ref name="Mayer"/> Traditional foods consumed on the occasion include ] and ]s, which are considered auspicious.<ref name="Mayer"/> In Bhutan, picnicking, dancing, singing, ], archery (see ]), and the giving of offerings are all traditions.<ref name="Mayer"/>


==See also== ==See also==
Line 159: Line 51:
*] *]
*] *]
*]
*Celebrations of Lunar New Year in other parts of Asia: *Celebrations of Lunar New Year in other parts of Asia:
** ] ''(Spring Festival)'' ** ] ''(Spring Festival)''

Revision as of 01:23, 22 September 2017

Not to be confused with loser. For other traditions of celebrating the lunar new year, see Lunar New Year (disambiguation).
Losar
Also calledTibetan New Year
Lhochhar
Tsagaan Sar
Observed byTibetans,Mongols,Tibetan Buddhists
TypeTibetan culture, Tibetan Buddhist
FrequencyAnnual
Related toOther Asian Lunar New Year festivals
Part of a series on
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Dharma Wheel
Schools
Key personalities
First dissemination
Second dissemination
Nyingma
Kagyu
Jonang
Sakya
Bodongpa

Samding Dorje Phagmo

Gelugpa
Teachings
General Buddhist
Tibetan
Nyingma
Practices and attainment
Major monasteries
Institutional roles
Festivals
Texts
Art
History and overview

Losar (Tibetan: ལོ་གསར་, Wylie: lo-gsar; "new year") is a festival in Tibetan Buddhism. The holiday is celebrated on various dates depending on location (Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan) and tradition. The holiday is a new year's festival, celebrated on the first day of the lunisolar Tibetan calendar, which corresponds to a date in February or March in the Gregorian calendar.

The variation of the festival in Nepal is called Lhochhar and is observed about eight weeks earlier than the Tibetan Losar.

History

Losar celebration in Lhasa, 1938

Losar predates the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet and has its roots in a winter incense-burning custom of the Bon religion. During the reign of the ninth Tibetan king, Pude Gungyal (617-698), it is said that this custom merged with a harvest festival to form the annual Losar festival.

The 14th Dalai Lama (1998: p. 233) frames the importance of consulting the Nechung Oracle for Losar:

For hundreds of years now, it has been traditional for the Dalai Lama, and the Government, to consult Nechung during the New Year festivals.

Tenzin Wangyal (2002: p.xvii) frames his experience of Tibetan cultural practice of Losar in relation to elemental celebrations and offerings to Nāga (Tibetan: Klu):

During Losar, the Tibetan celebration of the new year, we did not drink champagne to celebrate. Instead, we went to the local spring to perform a ritual of gratitude. We made offerings to the nagas, the water spirits who activated the water element in the area. We made smoke offerings to the local spirits associated with the natural world around us. Beliefs and behaviors like ours evolved long ago and are often seen as primitive in the West. But they are not only projections of human fears onto the natural world, as some anthropologists and historians suggest. Our way of relating to the elements originated in the direct experiences by our sages and common people of the sacred nature of the external and internal elements. We call these elements earth, water, fire, air, and space.

The Gumpa dance being performed in Lachung during the Buddhist festival of Losar

Practice

Losar is celebrated for 15 days, with the main celebrations on the first three days. On the first day of Losar, a beverage called changkol is made from chhaang (a Tibetan cousin of beer). The second day of Losar is known as King's Losar (gyalpo losar). Losar is traditionally preceded by the five-day practice of Vajrakilaya. Because the Uyghurs adopted the Chinese calendar, and the Mongols and Tibetans adopted the Uyghur calendar, Losar occurs near or on the same day as the Chinese New Year and the Mongolian New Year, but the traditions of Losar are unique to Tibet, and predate both Indian and Chinese influences. Originally, ancient celebrations of Losar occurred solely on the winter solstice, and was only moved to coincide with the Chinese and Mongolian New Year by a leader of the Gelug school of Buddhism.

Prior to the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1950, Losar began with a morning ritual ceremony at Namgyal Monastery, led by the Dalai Lama and other high-ranking lamas, with government officials participating, to honor the Dharmapala (dharma-protector) Palden Lhamo. After the Dalai Lama was exiled, many monasteries were dissolved during the Cultural Revolution. Since that time, Tibetan Buddhism practice in Tibet has been somewhat restored, and "Losar is now celebrated, though without the former ceremonies surrounding the person of the Dalai Lama."

In Tibet, various customs are associated with the holiday:

Families prepare for Losar some days in advance by thoroughly cleaning their homes; decorating with fragrant flowers and their walls with auspicious signs painted in flour such as the sun, moon, or a reversed swastika; and preparing cedar, rhododendron, and juniper branches for burning as incense. Debts are settled, quarrels are resolved, new clothes are acquired, and special foods such as kapse (fried twists) are made. A favorite drink is chang (barley beer) which is served warm. Because the words "sheep's head" and "beginning of the year" sound similar in Tibetan, it is customary to fashion a sheep's head from colored butter as a decoration. Another traditional decoration that symbolizes a good harvest is the phyemar ("five-grain bucket"), a bucket with a wooden board that creates two vertical halves within. This bucket is filled with zanba (also known as tsamba, roasted qingke barley flour) and barley seeds, then decorated with barley ears and colored butter.

Losar customs in Bhutan are similar to, but distinct from, customs in neighboring Tibet. Modern celebration of the holiday began in Bhutan in 1637, when Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal commemorated the completition of the Punakha Dzong with an inaugural ceremony, in which "Bhutanese came from all over the country to bring offerings of produce from their various regions, a tradition that is still reflected in the wide variety of foods consumed during the ritual Losar meals." Traditional foods consumed on the occasion include sugarcane and green bananas, which are considered auspicious. In Bhutan, picnicking, dancing, singing, dart-playing, archery (see archery in Bhutan), and the giving of offerings are all traditions.

See also

References

  1. ^ William D. Crump, "Losar" in Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide (McFarland & Co.: 2008), pp. 237-38.
  2. "Buddhism: Losar". BBC. September 8, 2004.
  3. Peter Glen Harle, Thinking with Things: Objects and Identity among Tibetans in the Twin Cities (Ph.D dissertation: Indiana University, 2003), p. 132: "In Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and other areas where Tibetan Buddhism is practiced, the dates for Losar are often calculated locally, and often vary from region.".
  4. William D. Crump, Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide (McFarland & Co.: 2008), pp. 237: ""Different traditions have observed Losar on different dates."
  5. Tibetan Borderlands: PIATS 2003: Proceedings of the International Association of Tibetan Studies, Oxford, 2003, p. 121: "Yet though their Lhochhar is observed about eight weeks earlier than the Tibetan Losar, the festival is clearly borrowed, and their practice of Buddhism comes increasingly in a Tibetan idiom."
  6. Gyatso, Tenzin (1988). Freedom in Exile: the Autobiography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet (rev. ed.: Abacus Books, London. ISBN 0-349-11111-1
  7. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (2002). Healing with Form, Energy, and Light. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1-55939-176-6
  8. Ligeti, Louis (1984). Tibetan and Buddhist Studies: Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Alexander Csoma De Koros. Vol. 2. University of California Press. p. 344. ISBN 9789630535731.
  9. Hastings, James (2003). Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Part 10. Kessinger Publishing. p. 892. ISBN 9780766136823.
  10. ^ J. Gordon Melton, "Losar" in Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations, Vol. 1 (ABC-CLIO), 2011), pp. 530-31.
  11. ^ James Mayer, Losar: Community Building and the Bhutanese New Year, Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Institution (February 15, 2013).
Portal: Categories:
Losar: Difference between revisions Add topic