“Losar is the Tibetan word for “new year”. lo holds the semantic field “year, age”; sar holds the semantic field “new, fresh”. Losar is an important holiday in Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. Losar is celebrated for 15 days, with the main celebrations on the first three days. On the first day of Losar, a beverage called changkol is made from chhaang (a Tibetan cousin of beer). The second day of Losar is known as King's Losar. Losar is traditionally preceded by the five day practice of Vajrakilaya. Because the Uyghurs adopted the Chinese calendar, and the Mongols and Tibetans adopted the Uyghur calendar, Losar occurs near or on the same day as the Chinese New Year and the Mongolian New Year, but the traditions of Losar are unique to Tibet, and predate both Indian and Chinese influences. Originally, ancient celebrations of Losar occurred solely on the winter solstice, and was only moved to coincide with the Chinese and Mongolian New Year by a leader of the Gelug school of Buddhism.

The celebration of Losar predates Buddhism in Tibet and can be traced back to the pre-Buddhist Bön period. In this early Bön tradition, every winter a spiritual ceremony was held, in which people offered large quantities of incense to appease the local spirits, deities and “protectors”. This religious festival later evolved into an annual Buddhist festival which is believed to have originated during the reign of Pude Gungyal, the ninth King of Tibet. The festival is said to have begun when an old woman named Belma introduced the measurement of time based on the phases of the moon. This festival took place during the flowering of the apricot trees of the Lhokha Yarla Shampo region in autumn, and it may have been the first celebration of what has become the traditional farmers' festival. It was during this period that the arts of cultivation, irrigation, refining iron from ore and building bridges were first introduced in Tibet. The ceremonies which were instituted to celebrate these new capabilities can be recognized as precursors of the Losar festival. Later when the rudiments of astrology, based on the five elements, were introduced in Tibet, this farmer's festival became what we now call the Losar or New Year's festival”. – Wikipedia

Tibetan girls watch a cultural show during celebrations to mark Tibetan New Year, or Losar, inside the Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur, Nepal, Thursday, February 19, 2015. Tibetans across the world marked the arrival of the New Year with prayers and festivities. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

A Tibetan child wears glasses decorated with the Tibetan flag during celebrations to mark their New Year, or Losar, inside the Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur, Nepal, Thursday, February 19, 2015. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

A Tibetan man carries a portrait of spiritual leader the Dalai Lama during Tibetan New Year, or Losar, inside the Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur, Nepal, Thursday, February 19, 2015. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

A Tibetan boy dressed in traditional attire arrives to take part in a function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Tibetan girls dressed in traditional attire walk near the monastery after offering prayers in a function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A Tibetan man dressed in traditional attire arrives to take part in a function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Tibetans dressed in traditional attire take part in a function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A Tibetan man carries a basked filled with Tibetan food called “khapse”, which he serves to guests during a function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A Tibetan man stirs butter tea made for the arriving guest during the function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at a Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A Tibetan man serves rice during a function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A Tibetan man stirs butter tea made for the arriving guest during the function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at a Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Tibetan boys dressed in traditional attire perform in a function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A Tibetan woman looks on as butter tea is prepared for the arriving guest during the function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A Tibetan woman offers butter tea to a guest during the function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Tibetans dressed in traditional attire take part in a function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Tibetan women dressed in traditional attire works inside the kitchen to prepare food for the guests during the function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A woman helps a Tibetan girl who is dressed in traditional attire as she prepares to take part in a function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A Tibetan man performs traditional mask dance in front of the guests during the function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Tibetan youths dressed in traditional attire observe the function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Tibetan boys take cover behind a wall as they play with their toy guns during the function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A Tibetan boy dressed in traditional attire holds a balloon as he observes the function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Tibetan girls dressed in traditional attire arrive to take part in the function organised to mark Losar or the Tibetan New Year at Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur February 19, 2015. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Tibetan men place a portrait of spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on a raised stage during Tibetan New Year, or Losar, inside the Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur, Nepal, Thursday, February 19, 2015. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

A Tibetan man prepares tea for the gathering during celebrations to mark Tibetan New Year, or Losar, inside the Tibetan Refugee Camp in Lalitpur, Nepal, Thursday, February 19, 2015. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)