Tibetan Buddhist · Losar begins Sunday, February 7, 2027
Losar
The Tibetan New Year, a fifteen-day festival of cleaning, offerings, prayer flags and family feasts that welcomes the year of the Fire Sheep.
Say it like a neighbor
Losar Tashi Delek
Say: LOH-sar TAH-shee DEH-lek · “New Year, blessings and good luck”
Or say: Happy Tibetan New Year
Tashi Delek means “blessings and good luck,” and it is the common Tibetan greeting, used all year. On Losar, “Losar Tashi Delek” or simply “Happy New Year” is warmly received. You do not need to know any Tibetan to join in the celebration.
Feb 7
Tap to follow the sun up on Losar, from the days of preparation to the third day of the festival.
When is Losar? Key dates and days to know
Main day
Main day
Main day
Losar follows the Tibetan lunar calendar and falls close to, but not always on, the same day as Lunar New Year. The festival lasts fifteen days, and the first three are the most important. In 2028 Losar is expected on February 26, in 2029 on February 14 and in 2030 on March 5, though some Tibetan traditions and Bhutan count a day or two differently.
What is Losar and what does it mean?
Losar means “new year” in Tibetan, from lo, “year,” and sar, “new.” It is the most important holiday of the year for Tibetan Buddhists and is also celebrated by Bhutanese, Sherpa and Himalayan communities, who each have their own customs. The festival is older than Buddhism in Tibet, and it blends Buddhist prayer with older traditions of purification and offering.
The new year begins with a clean slate. Households sweep and clean, settle debts where they can, and hold prayers to the protectors in the days before. Monasteries hold ceremonies, and families gather to share special foods and to visit the temple.
Each Tibetan year is named for one of twelve animals and one of five elements. 2027 is the Year of the Fire Sheep, the 2154th year in the Tibetan count.
How is Losar celebrated? Customs and traditions
Cleaning and preparation
Before the new year, homes and temples are cleaned, and many families make offerings and hold protector prayers to clear away obstacles of the old year.
Khapse and sweet rice
Families prepare khapse, deep-fried pastries often shaped as twists, and dresi, a sweet rice with butter, raisins and sugar. Chang, a barley drink, and butter tea are served to guests.
Greeting the new year
On the first morning, families dress in their best, make offerings at the home shrine, visit the temple and greet the elders first.
Smoke offerings
Burning juniper and other offerings in a smoke offering, called sang, is a way to give thanks and to honor the deities and all beings.
Prayer flags
New strings of five-colored prayer flags are hung. Blue, white, red, green and yellow stand for the five elements, and the wind is said to carry the prayers on the flags to all beings.
Gorshe and gatherings
Visits, games and dancing follow. Gorshe, a Tibetan circle dance with stamping steps, is danced at many gatherings.
Fifteen days
The festival runs for fifteen days, with the first three the most celebrated, and some communities keep the full period.
Being a good neighbor on Losar
Tap each one as you go.
Losar in Houston: how neighbors can take part
Fifteen days, with the first three the most celebrated
Houston has a Tibetan Buddhist community with several centers. Dawn Mountain Tibetan Temple, Community Center and Research Institute, founded in 1996, has hosted a Losar series with opening and closing celebrations. Ligmincha Texas, a center of the Bon Buddhist tradition, has also marked Losar in Houston.
The Rothko Chapel has welcomed Tibetan Buddhist communities for Losar, including a smoke offering ceremony, and the Houston Zen Center is also part of the city’s Buddhist community.
We did not find a posted 2027 Losar schedule when we checked, so please contact each community to confirm times and places.
Losar events in Houston
Each Houston community sets its own program. Please contact the center before you go. Many events are open to the public.
Questions neighbors ask about Losar
When is Losar 2027?
Losar, the Tibetan New Year, begins on Sunday, February 7, 2027. Celebrations last up to 15 days, and the day before is used for cleaning and preparation.
What do you say on Losar?
“Losar Tashi Delek” is the traditional greeting. “Tashi Delek” is a wish for good luck and blessings.
How do Tibetan families celebrate Losar?
Homes are cleaned, prayer flags are raised, and families visit temples, make offerings and share special foods such as guthuk soup and khapse pastries.
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