Celebrating Losar (Tibetan New Year) 2023
Losar/Tibetan New Year this year fell on the 21st of February. This year is 2150 in the Tibetan Calendar (Year of the Water Rabbit). After a ferocious 2149 (Tiger years are considered to be difficult astrologically), the coming year is considered auspicious.
To prepare for the New Year, our community got together to clean the temple and engage in a Mahakala prayer service. We also had a special meal of Guthuk/ 9 ingredient stew together in the evening which Tibetans share as a means of safe passage into the new year and to attract good luck. A playful element to Guthuk is the adding of dough balls with a slip of paper that indicates a human characeristic (both positive and negative) as a kind of jovial revelation of the person who gets the ball.
As per our custom, the AIBLP community marked the first day of the Tibetan New Year by paying respects to our Guru, H.E. Khejok Rinpoche in the early morning. This was followed by a special Guru Puja with butter tea and auspicious rice (dresi) offering. During the day, many members of the public came to visit our Gompa, pray and pay their respects.
On the following Saturday, we changed prayer flags at our centre. Our Sangha also held a special prayer service along with sangsol (smoke offering) to herald in the new year. It was also wonderful to be able to share a plate for lunch with home cooked brought by our community.
Here are some photos from Losar Celebrations at AIBLP.
