It’s the Year of the Water Hare, according to the Tibetan lunar calendar, year 2150. Tibetans gathered March 11 at the Northeast Library, 2200 Central Ave. NE, to celebrate and educate their neighbors.
Losar is the biggest holiday in Tibetan Buddhism; the celebration may run as long as 15 days. It falls on the first day of the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar; this year it fell on Feb. 21.
In the lead-up to Losar, Tibetans deep-clean their houses, rid themselves of negative feelings and bathe in order to begin the new year on a positive note. On New Year’s Eve, families gather for a meal and send a glud, a figure made of dough, out the door, taking their obstacles and bad luck with it.
Ngawang Dolker, president of the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota, said the Central Asian country celebrates the new year in a multitude of ways. This includes preparing khapse, a deep fried sweet or savory pastry, hoisting colorful prayer flags, creating butter sculptures and performing gorshe, a traditional Tibetan circle dance.
A three-day celebration follows. On the first day, Tibetans visit a Buddhist temple to pay their respects and receive blessings. The second day is for official public celebration. The third day, prayer flags are hung outside buildings and around houses.
Dance students from the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota perform a traditional Tibetan dance at the Northeast Library. (Photo by Max Goldberg)