Losar
18 February 2026 · movable holiday — Tashi Delek! May the new year be bright and Tashi Delek! May the new year be bright and as full as a chemar box..
Losar (“new year” in Tibetan) is the most important festival of the Tibetan people. Its roots reach back to ancient winter rituals practised before Buddhism came to Tibet, and the two traditions later blended. It follows the Tibetan lunisolar calendar, so it usually falls on or a day or two from Lunar New Year in China, but sometimes a whole month apart. The celebrations last several days, and preparations begin well in advance: homes are cleaned and decorated, rites to drive out the old year’s misfortune are held on the eve, and juniper incense is burned on the day itself. On the household altar stands a chemar box filled with roasted barley grains and tsampa (roasted barley flour) and decorated with ears of barley, a wish for abundance in the coming year. Families exchange white scarves called khatak, symbols of purity and goodwill, and greet one another with “Tashi Delek” (a wish for good fortune). People visit monasteries, light butter lamps and gather for festive meals. Because the calendar follows the Moon, the festival is tied to the new moon and to the lengthening days of late winter.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver figure made of luminous dots and thin lines, like a constellation drifting across the sky: a small wooden box filled with barley grain, topped with ears of barley, with a long flowing white scarf trailing behind it like a silver ribbon of stars
Sources
Positions in Astronativa are astronomically exact. The interpretation is for inspiration. · Glossary · Terms · Privacy · Thank you