Losar is a Tibetan word which
means “New Year”. Losar is considered as one of the most beautiful festival in Leh Ladakh. This festival is celebrated
for the 15 days in which 3 days were the main days. Most of the festivals are
held in winter but some popular festival take place in summer too. The monastic
festivals are the heart of all the festivals. They are performed by Monks
wearing colorful silk garments and different facial mask.
The Losar (New Year) celebration
is followed by Galdan Namchot, the birth anniversary of Tsogkha pa who
introduced Gelukpa School of order. 14th Dec. 2012 will be
celebrated as New Year day (Losar festival).
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| Losar Festival |
The origin of Losar festival can
be marked even before the beginning of Buddhist religion in Tibet. During
pre-Buddhist period, Tibetans followed the Bon religion. With the arrival of
Buddhism in Tibet, Bon ceremony was merged into Buddhist tradition and was
renamed as Buddhist Losar festival. During the reign of the ninth king of Tibet,
Pude Gungyal, this religious custom was celebrated as the Buddhist celebratory
occasion.
The sheer charm of Losar
festivity steals the heart of every visitor. It is a mirror of the rich and
vibrant culture of Ladakh. People
celebrate the festival with great pomp and splendor. The festival fever begins
one month in advance and people make lots of preparations for the festival.
Losar festival is celebrated with
dancing, music and laughter. People are filled with joy and excitement on
arrival of Losar. Local people clean their houses and get them painted. After
that they decorate their houses with beautiful decorative items to create a
happy atmosphere. Every house and holy shrine is illuminated with colorful
lights in the evening. Images of Ibex are hanged on the doors and walls of
houses for good luck and prosperous life.
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| Losar Festival Celebration |
On the auspicious occasion of
Losar, a huge procession, “Methi” is organized in the evening. The streets and
bazaars of Leh Ladakh turn out to be
lively as the people walk through these streets with flaming torches (Mashal)
and enchanting slogans. The procession ends with throwing of torches outside
the town to offer farewell to old year and heartily welcoming the New Year.
Ladakhi people wear new bright
colored clothes and visit the holy shrines, and monasteries to seek the
blessing of Lord. They offer prayers and follow the tradition of 'Lama Losar'
in which they give gifts to nuns and monks of the monastery. On this special
occasion, people also exchange greetings by saying “Tahsi Delek”.
Plan your vacation now, call us
on 1800-103-2228 (toll free in India) or visit our website
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