Losar (Tibetan New Year)

When it is

Losar (洛萨, Luó Sà — from Tibetan lo = year, gsar = new) is the Tibetan New Year, falling on the first day of the Tibetan lunar calendar. This typically lands in February or March, often close to but not identical to the Chinese Spring Festival. The Tibetan calendar is lunisolar and calculated separately; the gap with the Chinese new year ranges from a few days to several weeks.

The three-day celebration

• First day (lha bab düchen): families rise before dawn to make offerings at the household shrine. The first act is offering the first water drawn from the well to the family deity. New clothes are worn; guthuk soup (barley soup with dumplings containing hidden objects — a ball of dough means luck, chilli means a spicy personality, charcoal means a dark heart) is eaten on new year's eve.
• Second day: social visits between families; exchange of khatas (white ceremonial silk scarves) as new year greetings.
• Third day: monastery ceremonies. Monks perform cham (ritual masked dances) to drive away evil. In Lhasa, Namgyal Monastery in the Potala Palace courtyard holds ceremonies; smaller monasteries in rural areas of Kham and Amdo are more accessible.

Religious dimension

Losar is inseparable from Tibetan Buddhism. The 15-day period includes Monlam (the Great Prayer Festival), which follows Losar at major monasteries. During Monlam, thousands of monks gather to recite prayers; butter sculptures (torma) representing deities are displayed in elaborate arrangements.

Where to experience it

• Lhasa (TAR permit required): the most centralised celebration, but most formal. Potala Palace square ceremonies.
• Xiahe, Gansu (Labrang Monastery): no TAR permit required; the Losar at Labrang includes cham dances accessible to foreign visitors.
• Shangri-La, Yunnan (Songzanlin Monastery): smaller, intimate Losar ceremonies.
• Sichuan Tibetan areas (Ganzi, Litang): rural Kham celebrations; accessible from Chengdu by bus or chartered vehicle.

Travel impact

No transport disruption for non-Tibetan areas. In Lhasa, the TAR permit process adds lead time to planning. Book permits 8+ weeks ahead for Losar season.