Losar — the Tibetan New Year — is one of the most joyous and visually spectacular festivals of the Himalayan Buddhist world. Celebrated by Tibetan communities in Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh, as well as the large Tibetan diaspora centred around Dharamsala, Losar is a three-day celebration of renewal, prayer, family, and the vibrant cultural life of Tibet preserved in India.
Quick Answer
Losar 2026 is on February 17. Traditions include: Gutor (exorcism ceremony the evening before), monastery prayers at dawn on Losar day, eating Guthuk soup with hidden fortune objects, wearing traditional Chuba, family feast with Khapse (fried cookies) and Changkol (barley beer), visiting monasteries, and traditional dance and music performances.
Losar Traditions
Gutor (Day before Losar)
A monastery ritual for clearing negative energies of the outgoing year — includes Cham dance (masked ritual dance) performed by monks, and the burning of a torma (ritual cake) representing the year's negativity
Losar Day 1 — Lama Losar
Monks and religious leaders celebrate — monastery prayers, offerings, and blessings. The public visits monasteries for blessings from lamas.
Day 2 — Gyalpo Losar
The king's new year historically — now the main public and community celebration. Family gatherings, feast, cultural performances, new clothes.
Day 3 — Choe-kyong Losar
Offerings to the dharma protectors — monastery rituals and the continuation of community celebrations
Throughout
Khapse (fried butter cookies in symbolic shapes) are prepared weeks in advance — making Khapse together is a major family tradition. Changkol (a sweet porridge with barley beer) is consumed. Homes are cleaned and decorated with Chemar boxes (barley and butter offerings).
💡 Family tradition tip
The Khapse recipes of different Tibetan families and regions vary — the specific shapes, the flavouring, the exact recipe. If your family makes Khapse for Losar, document the recipe and the tradition. Tibetan cultural heritage preserved in India is itself a precious and vulnerable tradition.