Tibetan New Year 2025: Celebrate Tibetan Losar with Us and Make Your Trip Unique
While winter is coming, most agricultural and pastoral areas in the Tibetan Plateau have entered the off-season. At the same time, we are also beginning to prepare for the grandest festival of the year - The Tibetan Losar New Year.
Here, we will give a detailed introduction to how Tibetans celebrate the New Year in Tibet. We welcome you to join us and experience the unique festival during your trip in Tibet.
What is Tibetan Losar? Why Is It So Important to Us?
When is Tibetan Losar 2025? Feb 28 to Mar 2, with Celebrations Lasting 15 Days
How do We Celebrate the Tibetan New Year? Highlighted Traditions from New Year’s Eve to Jan. 3rd
Our Tibetan Families’ Favorite Activities and Foods during Losar
Actually, In Tibet, New Year Celebrations Vary by Region
Are Tourist Sites, Hotels, and Restaurants Open During Tibetan New Year?
Tibet Tours you Can Join with Tibet Vista during 2025 Losar
More Tips for Visiting Tibet during the Tibetan Losar Festival
What is Tibetan Losar? Why Is It So Important to Us?
Tibetan Losar, also known as the Tibetan New Year, is the most important and widely celebrated festival on the Tibetan calendar.
The Tibetan Losar not only marks the beginning of the year, but is also an important achievement of cultural exchanges between the Han and Tibetan peoples, with profound historical significance.
It is said that in 641 AD, the marriage between Princess Wencheng and the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo Emperor established a deeper connection between the two ethnic groups, and promoted the exchange of Han and Tibetan cultures.
As time went by, the Tibetan calendar gradually incorporated certain festival customs from the Chinese calendar and finally formed the Tibetan Losar New Year.
Nowadays, the Tibetan Losar New Year has become one of the most important Tibetan festivals. This is not only because of its long history and rich cultural traditions but also because it provides an opportunity for Tibetan families to gather together, strengthening family bonds and praying for good luck in the coming year.
The Losar New Year is an important festival for family reunions in Tibet.
When is Tibetan Losar 2025? Feb 28 to Mar 2, with Celebrations Lasting 15 Days
Based on the Tibetan Calendar, the Tibetan Losar celebrations start on December 28 and lasts about 2 weeks. It generally falls between February and March, depending on the cycle of the moon.
Tibetan Losar 2025 falls on Feb. 28, 2025. The major celebrations will begin on the last two days of the previous year and continue through the third day of the new year, from February 26th to March 2nd on the Gregorian calendar.
Gregorian Calendar Date | Tibetan Calendar Date | Tibetan Festival / Occasion |
February 26 | December 28 | The First Gutok Day |
February 27 | December 29 | New Year’s Eve |
February 28 | January 1 | New Year’s Day |
March 1 | January 2 | The Second Day of the Losar |
March 2 | January 3 | The Third Day of the Losar |
A specially designed trip to Lhasa and Shigatse for the best Losar New Year experience in Tibet.
How do We Celebrate the Tibetan New Year? Highlighted Traditions from New Year’s Eve to Jan. 3rd
As the most grand festival in Tibetan areas, we start preparing two days in advance. The main celebration will last until the third day of the New Year.
Day 1: The First Gutok Day (February 26, 2025)
On this day, we’ll do some house cleaning, especially the cleaning of the kitchen. In our opinion, the spring cleaning at the end of the year is to get rid of old things and better welcome the arrival of the new year.
Clean the house and decorate it with chhemar and other ornaments for Losar New Year.
Day 2: The New Year’s Eve (February 27, 2025)
The Tibetan New Year’s Eve is also called the ‘night of Gutok’. We’ll gather by the fire to enjoy gutok, which is a traditional dumpling soup made from meat, rice, sweet potatoes, wheat, Yak cheese, peas, green peppers, vermicelli, and radishes. It is believed to bring good luck and health to our family.
After eating gutok, we’ll perform a ‘ghost-driving’ ritual to drive away evil spirits, using torches made of straw, tsampa, and firecrackers to get rid of bad energy.
Day 3: New Year’s Day (February 28, 2025)
On the first day of the New Year, we will hold the sacred Sangwa ceremony, during which we will burn incense and the smoke will carry our wishes to the sky. Also, we will visit holy places, such as the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple to offer incense and prayers for blessing for the good fortune in the new year.
In some villages, housewives will get up early in the morning to get the ‘First Water of The Year’ and make meals with this water, which is believed to be fairly auspicious.
On New Year's Day, visit the monastery and present offerings to the monks for their blessings.
Day 4: The Second Day of the Losar (March 1, 2025)
On the second day, we will visit relatives and friends. Everyone will hold the Chema (sacred offerings), which is filled with fried barley, barley power, tsampa, straw of barley, and flowers made of yak butter to send our New Year’s greetings to friends and relatives.
We will sit together for a spirited chat while drinking Tibetan butter tea and other Tibetan delicacies that can be only eaten during the Losar New Year.
Celebrate the Tibetan New Year with family and friends.
Day 5: The Third Day of the Losar (March 2, 2025)
The third day of the Tibetan Losar New Year is for visiting local monasteries and taking the Wei Sang ceremony for blessing. Wei Sang is a traditional ceremony during which we burn piece tree branches, cypresses, and other herbs to make aromatic smoke as a kind of offering for Buddhas.
The other important event on the third day is to hang new prayer flags on the rooftop of our house or the mountaintop. In the meantime, we will also splash tsampa in the air for peace and happiness in the new year.
People celebrate the Tibetan New Year by erecting new prayer flags and throwing tsampa.
Our Tibetan Families’ Favorite Activities and Foods during Losar
For our Tibetans, the New Year is a time for family reunion. During the Losar New Year, all of our family members will clean the house, make festival food, put up New Year decorations, visit relatives and friends, and share the joy of the New Year together.
One of our favorite activities is to visit relatives and friends. We will gather to chat, share stories, and wish each other well for the upcoming year. Also, we will share our homemade barley wine (what we call Chang in Tibetan), butter tea, and sweet tea together.
We also like to visit monasteries together to offer incense and prayers for the well-being and prosperity of the entire family. Doing the kora around the Potala Palace or the Jokhang Temple is a traditional activity and we would like to do it together with our family during the Losar New Year.
Doing the kora around the Jokhang Temple together for blessings in the New Year.
Food plays an important role in Losar celebrations and making traditional food together is also fun with family. On the night of Gutok, we will make the special dumpling soup together.
We also like to place something like chilies, salt, and rice in dough balls, which are then handed out. If one takes the dough ball with chili in it, that means he/she is talkative. If white-colored ingredients, such as salt or rice, are hidden in the dough, it is believed as a good sign.
Of course, our New Year’s table will not lack traditional foods such as tsampa, momos (Tibetan dumplings), and yak beef. There is nothing happier than our family sitting together, eating and drinking homemade delicacies.
Family members make Gutok, a traditional Tibetan New Year food, together.
Actually, In Tibet, New Year Celebrations Vary by Region
In fact, the most famous Tibetan Losar is the Tibetan New Year celebrated in Lhasa. In other regions of Tibet, there are also different local New Years.
For example, in Shigatse, locals celebrate on the first day of the twelfth month of the Tibetan calendar. This day is called the ‘Farmer’s New Year’, as it is the largest Tibetan barley farming area. Locals wash their hair on New Year’s Eve, believing that it will bring good luck.
In the Gongbu area, mainly in Nyingchi in eastern Tibet, people celebrate the ‘Gongbu New Year’ on the first day of the tenth month of the Tibetan calendar. The Gongbu New Year is as grand as the Tibetan Losar in Lhasa. During the festival, local Tibetans will dress in their finest clothes, sing and dance, and exchange New Year’s greetings with each other.
In Ngari at the westernmost end of Tibet, there is also its own New Year. The Purang New Year is generally on the first day of the eleventh month of the Tibetan calendar. On New Year’s Eve, people will beat themselves with tsampa to take away the illness and throw the tsampa into the fire, praying for health and peace in the new year.
Local people dressing up and celebrate the Gongbu New Year in Nyingchi.
Are Tourist Sites, Hotels, and Restaurants Open During Tibetan New Year?
The Tibetan Losar New Year usually falls in February or March according to the Gregorian Calendar, which is the low tourist season in Tibet. Occasionally, if the Tibetan Losar meet the Chinese New Year on the same day, or are close to each other, some restaurants run by the Han people may close. However, most Tibetan restaurants, particularly those in Lhasa, remain open.
Additionally, most star-rated hotels in Tibet and all major attractions stay open to tourists throughout the Losar holiday and the winter months.
If you visit Tibet in winter, you can get free entry to popular sites like the Potala Palace, Yamdrok Lake, and the Everest Base Camp in Tibet. Also, flights to Tibet and hotels in Tibet offer great discounts in winter, making it a great opportunity to enjoy the cheapest Tibet tour in winter with fewer crowds and a more tranquil atmosphere.
Visit Tibet in February and experience the Losar Festival with locals kids.
Tibet Tours you Can Join with Tibet Vista during 2025 Losar
Tibetan Losar New Year offers a great opportunity to enjoy the annual festival occasion with local Tibetans. Here are our recommended tours for the Tibet winter tour with the Losar Festival experience.
8 Days Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Tour
The popular journey to Mount Everest in Tibet is also available in winter. From Lhasa to Everest Base Camp, you will pass through Yamdrok Lake, the ancient town of Gyantse, and Shigatse, experiencing how different regions of Tibet celebrate the Losar. Along the way, the stunning winter landscapes from the Lhasa Valley to the Everest region offer peaceful and snow-covered scenery, which creates a serene and unforgettable atmosphere of winter Tibet.
Join our popular Everest Base Camp tour for an unforgettable Losar New Year holiday!
7 Days Lhasa to Kathmandu Overland Tour
The overland journey from Lhasa to Kathmandu via the Gyirong border along the Sino-Nepal Friendship is one of the most epic overland routes in the world. Traveling during the Losar New Year, you will immerse yourself in authentic Tibetan culture and festival, journeying from the heart of Tibet through the Everest region to the Sino-Nepal border.
5 Days Lhasa and Yamdrok Lake Tour
This is the best opportunity to experience how Tibetans celebrate the Tibetan Losar. You will visit a local family near Yamdrok Lake and also witness the grandest celebrations in downtown Lhasa. With fewer tourists but more locals gathering in the holy city of Lhasa, you will get the strongest atmosphere of the Tibetan New Year.
Explore turquoise Yamdrok Lake and experience Losar New Year in Lhasa on this trip.
More Tips for Visiting Tibet during the Tibetan Losar Festival
Make your reservation in advance. The tourist bureau and our local office will be closed during the Tibetan Losar New Year and Chinese New Year holidays. You need to check the date in advance and leave enough time to apply for a Chinese Visa and the Tibet Travel Permit to avoid delaying your trip due to the office holidays. Generally, the Chinese New Year falls in January or February, while the Tibetan Losar is mostly in February or March.
Dress warmly and windproof. February and March are winter months in Tibet, with cold weather and possible snowfall. Though the daytime temperature may reach around 10°C and it is relatively warm on sunny days, there is a large temperature difference between day and night. When there’s no sunshine, the temperature could be chilly and frozen. If you are going to visit Everest Base Camp or some other places at high altitude, you also need to prepare a windproof down jacket. It is also important to wear a hat, scarf, and gloves, as the winds are very strong at high altitudes.
Visiting Tibet in winter, you should also pay attention to sun protection and moisturizing. In winter, the UV rays are strong and the air is dry. Please bring sunscreen and sunglasses with you. In addition, moisturizing cream and lipstick are also essential.
The prime time of photography is on New Year’s Eve as the entire Lhasa City will be the center of celebration. Some of the major sites for a Photography tour during the Losar festival are the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street, and the Zongjiao Lukang Park. It will be perfect if you are lucky enough to catch up with snow, thus you can take pictures of the snowscape and scenery of New Year.
The Jokhang Temple is well-decorated for Tibetan Losar.
Conclusion
The Tibetan Losar New Year is an important festival for our Tibetans, during which we reunite with family, visit relatives and friends, and celebrate the New Year together. We also welcome you to join us and experience the grand festival in Lhasa and its surroundings.
Don’t worry about the dining and accommodation, as most of our local hotels and restaurants remain open during the winter months. There are also tourist discounts for flights, hotels, and even some major attractions.
Just remember to book your Tibetan Losar New Year Festival tour with us in advance, as you need time to apply for the Chinese Visa and the Tibet Travel Permit.
Welcome you to celebrate 2025 Tibetan Losar New Year with us!

Born in the Kham region and growing up in Lhasa, Lobsang Tsering has been credited by many travelers as a versatile, professional, and charismatic Tibetan guide. He is also one of the most experienced Tibetan guides in our big family.
Nowadays, Lobsang has dedicated himself to creating bite-sized Tibet travel videos and writing insightful travel articles for global travelers planning to visit Tibet.
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What is Tibetan Losar? Why Is It So Important to Us?
When is Tibetan Losar 2025? Feb 28 to Mar 2, with Celebrations Lasting 15 Days
How do We Celebrate the Tibetan New Year? Highlighted Traditions from New Year’s Eve to Jan. 3rd
Our Tibetan Families’ Favorite Activities and Foods during Losar
Actually, In Tibet, New Year Celebrations Vary by Region
Are Tourist Sites, Hotels, and Restaurants Open During Tibetan New Year?
Tibet Tours you Can Join with Tibet Vista during 2025 Losar
More Tips for Visiting Tibet during the Tibetan Losar Festival