Rituals, gatherings mark Tibetan New Year

Shrine table

The 30th day of the 12th month on the Tibetan calendar marks Namgang, or New Year's Eve, one of the busiest days of the year for families making preparations. In addition to cleaning, derkha, or various food and objects, are placed on an offering table in the family shrine room.

On the first day of Losar, residents usually prefer to stay at home, while from the second day, they welcome each other for gatherings.

Those working in government sectors in cities are given a seven-day holiday for Losar in addition to the weeklong Spring Festival vacation. In rural areas, the celebrations may last for 15 days.

Items offered on the shrine table include fruit, a tea leaf "brick", butter and salt. A droso chemar — a two-tier rectangular wooden box containing roasted barley and roasted barley flour mixed with butter — is among the objects placed on the offering table or in the dining room.

Auspicious designs adorn the droso chemar, which is decorated with colorful ears of barley. It also features tsedro, a wooden section that includes sculptures of the sun, moon and Tibetan patterns made from yak butter and pigments. Nyemo county, Tibet, is known particularly for making tsedro.

A sheep's head is another auspicious New Year item for Tibetans, as it is used both as a decoration and a meal during the celebrations.

In the Tibetan language, a sheep's head is known as lukgo, which is similar to lo'go, or the start of a year, and symbolizes a good beginning and prosperity from livestock.

Locally produced highland barley wine typically offered in silver-plated wooden bowls is also used to celebrate Losar, along with air-dried yak meat. The meat is bought in winter and hung in the wind for several weeks. Most families offer this dish to their guests, and take smaller pieces of the meat with them to family gatherings.