2017 Tibetan New Year Festival Will Be Celebrated on February 27th

Since Tibetan lunar calendar is different from Chinese lunar calendar, Tibetan New Year does not always fall on the same day as Chinese Spring Festival. Following Chinese Spring Festival celebrated on Jan.28th, Tibetan New Year Festival will take place on Feb.27th, 2017.

Tibetans were celebrating the coming of Tibetan New Year Festival.

During this grand festival, tourists can not only pay a visit to local family, try some new year guthuk, but also watch cham dance at Tibetan monasteries and attend some sport competitions, like horse racing, tug-of-war, etc. And under the warm winter sunshine, you’ll encounter swarms of pilgrims prostrating in front of Jokhang Temple and circling along Barkhor Street.

Restaurants and Hotels When Touring Tibet in Losar Festival

Tibetan New Year, also known as Losar Festival, is the most important and popular festival for local Tibetans. Similar to Chinese Spring Festival, all the folks will get together on this day for family reunion. As a result, most Tibetan stores and shops would be closed up. The large-scale supermarkets, pharmacies, sweet tea-houses and Tibetan restaurants would open again till the second or third day of Tibetan New Year. Luckily, the shops and hotels operated by Han people are always available throughout the whole new year festival. Thus those temporary closings won’t affect your Tibet tour very much.

What’s more, the overall costs would be much lower than usual. With tourists fading away, you are likelier to get better discounts on all kinds of fees, such as air tickets, hotel costs, tour services and so on. Please feel free to contact our travel experts for more details.

Weather and Climate in Tibetan New Year

At the same time, Tibet in winter is not so cold as you thought. The daily temperature in Lhasa is still around 16℃ but it would drop below zero at night. It’s necessary to bring thick sweater, down jackets, woolen socks, gloves and hats for Tibet winter tour.

Tibetan New Year Celebrations and Customs

According to Tibetan lunar calendar, the annual new year celebration usually starts from December 29th and lasts for two weeks. And the major festive activities will be held in the first seven days.

Local Tibetans were enjoying Guthuk on December 29th evening.

On December 29th in Tibetan calendar, every household would prepare new year Guthuk. It's a dough ball filled with nine different kinds of ingredients like stone, pepper, coal, wool, etc. Each Guthuk has its own saying. If a person gets stone inside, it means that he is a tough-minded man. If someone finds pepper inside, it signifies that he is a talkative person. If woolen is hidden in the dough, it hints that he has a very sympathetic and kind nature. When the night falls, people light up the torch and fireworks at the crossing of the road to dispel all the ghosts and back luck.

On Tibetan New Year's Eve, a Tibetan man was preparing special offerings for the Gods.

On the next day morning, the grand cham dance will be performed at Tibetan monasteries. Accompanied by religious music, monks would put on their beautiful costumes and masks, and dance around to welcome the new year's coming. And it's also time to clean houses and redecorate rooms. Colorful valances will be replaced on the windows and doors. The auspicious patterns are painted on the gate. Beside, barley sprouts, dried fruits, sheep head and Qiema box will be placed in front of the niche, indicating good health and rich harvest in the following year. When Tibetan New Year's Eve comes, traditional foods like blood sausage, highland barley wine will be served for all the friends and relatives.

It's believed that the first bucket of water on the New Year's Day will bring the good luck for the whole family.

It's said that the god of earth has sprinkled the milk at the source of the river on the Tibetan New Year's Eve. The person who gets the first bucket of water must be the luckiest one in the next year. Thus, before the sun comes out, Tibetan housewives have already gone to the headwaters. And on this New Year's Day, family members take turns to throw barley into the sky and offer the sacrifices to gods. One thing you need to note here is that Tibetans would neither sweep the floor nor say any bad words on this auspicious day.

Tibetans begin to visit relatives till the second day of Tibet New Year.

On the second day of Tibet New Year, Tibetans begin to pay a visit to friends and relatives. It's common to see the enthusiastic host greeting the guests with Qiema box and the pretty hostess pouring highland barley wine for them. If you visit a Tibetan family during Losar Festival, you'll be lucky to receive a gift of Qiema.

Tibetans are playing fireworks in the suburb area.

On the third day, the locals will held Weisang ceremony at Chakpori Hill for the god's blessings. Some people would even climb onto the roof of the house and hang new prayer flags, which is dedicated to the god of roof. On this day, you must be invited by the outgoing locals to join some sport competitions like horse racing, tug of war, etc.

Tibetan monks were debating the Buddhism scriptures at Jokhang Temple.

On the forth day, you'll encounter one of the greatest religious festivals in Tibet, namely, Great Prayer Festival. It was launched by Tsongkhapa in 1409 to honor Sakyamuni. During this festival, thousands of monks would gather at Jokhang Monastery to chant prayers and perform religious rituals for Sakyamuni. Meanwhile, the examination for the highest Geshe degree (a degree in Buddhist philosophy in the Geluk tradition) will be also held at this week-long festival.

After the plowing ceremony, Tibetans would toast to gods and each other for the good harverst in the coming year.

On the fifth day morning, peasants in the suburbs of Lhasa will hold the grand plowing ceremony. Usually, they would put on their festive costumes and place the butter pattern on the cattle's forehead. After being tired with colorful ribbons, the cattle begin to plow the fields. And each plot will be sowed with different crops, such as pea, barley, wheat, rapeseed and so on. Hence, the farmers would burn a pile of cypress branches and herbs, hang the prayer flags, sing and dance for the good harvest till the sunset.

Traditionally speaking, Tibetan New Year celebrations will last for fifteen days. If you really want to experience authentic Tibetan culture and custom, please do not miss out Tibetan New Year in 2017!