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THE SNOW LION NEWSLETTER
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Tibetan New Year
February 21, 2004
Year of the Wood Monkey
The Tibetan New Year Festival, Losar, can be traced back to the time
before the introduction of Buddhism in the sixth century, BC, when the Bon
religion was predominant.
Every winter, a spiritual ritual was performed in which incense was offered
to calm the |
photo courtesy
Palden Padma Samye
Ling
| spirits, deities and protectors
of the land. It was said to have been started when an old woman introduced the
measuring of time based on the different phases of the moon.
This later evolved into an annual Buddhist festival. Since the 13th century,
Losar has traditionally fallen on the first day of the first month of the
calendar year, which is lunar-based-unlike our solar western calendar.
However, before the coming of a new year can be celebrated, unfinished
business and unhappy memories must be dealt with. And so, on the 29th day of the
last month in the old year, there is a festival called Gutor, in which everyone
whitewashes and cleans their houses. The last day of the old year is spent
preparing for the New Year. People go to monasteries to make offerings, and to
participate in the ceremonies conducted during the day. Many rituals take place
that are designed to chase away any evil spirits. One of these is a play in
which the lamas perform masked dances to symbolize the triumph of good over
evil. New Year's Eve is Lu Yugpa , an opportunity to banish evil spirits from
the old year and clear the way for starting the new year right.
In modern times the preparations for Losar consist of collecting fresh
roasted barley flour for phyemar (this symbolizes good wishes); lophud, a young
wheat sprout that is the symbol of the birth of a new year; chang , a mild
barley beer; sweet rice, tea, butter, fried biscuits, sweets, fruits and butter
lamps.
A complete collection of these seasonal foods is always placed on the
family's Buddhist altar as an offering. The entire neighborhood is cleaned and
houses are freshly painted. New clothing is sewn and new curtains are put over
the doors and windows. There is a saying in Tibet, "Losar is Lekar," meaning the
New Year is new work!
On the first day, at sunrise, the wife runs to collect the year's first
bucket of water. She burns incense at the well or river, ties a white scarf
around the tap or nearby tree and gives a food offering of the first portion of
the special foods for the celebration to appease the nagas (subterranean
serpents and spirits).
A special breakfast is prepared, everyone wears new clothes for the year and
a special Buddhist practice is performed at the family altar. When the formal
family ceremony is over, the household members run to their neighbors' houses
shouting Tashe Delek!-literally, "Good Fortune!" Like Christmas morning in the
west, on the morning of Losar the children love to fill their pockets with
sweets and show off their new outfits.
According to Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal, "Each new year is an echo of the
changing cycles and Losar reminds us of the true nature of impermanence.
Everything that is born is bound to die. The old year is gone and will never
exist again. The new year gives us the opportunity to come together and
celebrate; to notice and appreciate each moment, in the moment and to realize
the blessings of the teachings."
Excerpted from a story by Margret Dunham, which includes the above photo,
from the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center website: www.padmasambhava.org.
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