Festival · Ghoom
Losar at Ghoom
Losar, the Tibetan New Year, is marked in the monasteries of Ghoom and in Tibetan and Sherpa homes across Darjeeling. Expect butter lamps, new prayer flags, family visits, khapse biscuits and prayers at Yiga Choeling. The date follows the lunar calendar and moves each year.
Losar falls on the first day of the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar, usually in February or early March. In Darjeeling it belongs to the Tibetan, Sherpa, Bhutia and Tamang families of the hills, and to the monasteries. Ghoom, with Yiga Choeling (founded 1850), Samten Choling and the Sakya monastery within walking distance of each other, is the easiest place to see its religious side. Many Darjeeling families also mark Sonam Losar or Tamu Lhosar at other times of year, so ask which New Year a monastery is celebrating.
The days before Losar are for cleaning houses and monasteries and for the rites that close the old year; in some monasteries this includes masked cham dances, though which monastery dances in a given year varies. On Losar itself families visit the gompa early, offer khatas and butter lamps, and raise new prayer flags. Homes fry khapse, crisp twisted biscuits, and serve chang and butter tea to guests. The pace is unhurried and visitors are generally welcome to stand quietly at the back.
For visitors this is a quiet, respectful festival rather than a show. Mornings at the monasteries are the time to go. February is cold in Ghoom, around 2,258 m, with clear days and frosty nights, and hotel rates are lower than in spring. Dates and any public programmes change every year, so check current status before you travel. Book a heated room in Darjeeling or Ghoom and walk to the monasteries after breakfast.
Tips
- Reach the Ghoom monasteries early in the morning, when families come to pray and offer khatas.
- Walk clockwise around shrines and prayer wheels, and ask before photographing monks or people at prayer.
- Pack for frost: Ghoom in February drops below freezing at night.
Most hill festivals follow lunar calendars, so dates move each year. Check current status before you travel.
Questions people ask
Good to know
When is Losar in Darjeeling?
Losar is the first day of the Tibetan lunar year, so the Gregorian date moves: usually in February, sometimes early March. Festivities run for several days, with the first three days the most important. Check the year's date with a monastery or your hotel, and check current status before you travel.
Can tourists visit monasteries during Losar?
Yes, respectfully. The monasteries at Ghoom are working religious places, and Losar is a family and prayer time. Visit in the morning, dress modestly, walk clockwise, remove shoes where asked and do not photograph inside prayer halls without permission. A small offering in the donation box is welcome.
Is there a cham mask dance at Ghoom for Losar?
Sometimes, but not every year or at every monastery. Some monasteries hold cham dances in the days before Losar as part of the year-end rites. Programmes change, so ask at the monastery office or at your homestay a few days ahead and check current status before you travel.
What food is eaten at Losar?
Khapse, crisp fried biscuits twisted into shapes, are the signature, along with butter tea, chang (a mild fermented millet or barley drink), momos and family feasts. A dough soup called guthuk is eaten in many Tibetan homes in the days just before Losar. Bakeries in Darjeeling sell khapse in the weeks before.