Losar: Tibetan and Sherpa New Year

Losar is the Tibetan Buddhist New Year — the most important festival for the Sherpa, Tamang, Gurung and Tibetan communities of Nepal. Marked by fresh prayer flags, masked monastery dances and joyful feasting, it brings colour and devotion to the cold heart of winter, and at Kathmandu's Boudhanath stupa it is one of the capital's most atmospheric celebrations.

What Losar celebrates

Losar marks the new year in the Tibetan lunar calendar and the renewal it brings — clearing away the old year's negativity and praying for good fortune, health and prosperity. It is a deeply Buddhist festival, observed in monasteries and homes alike, and a time of family reunion for highland communities. You can read more about these traditions in our Buddhism in Nepal guide.

When it falls

Losar follows the Tibetan lunar calendar and usually falls in February, sometimes early March, around the new moon. Nepal actually has three Losars: Tamu Losar (Gurung) in December–January, Sonam Losar (Tamang) in January–February, and Gyalpo Losar (Tibetan and Sherpa) in February. Dates move each year — confirm with our best time to visit Nepal guide.

How and where it is celebrated

Families clean their homes, hang fresh prayer flags, prepare special foods and visit monasteries to make offerings. Monasteries perform Cham masked dances to drive out evil and welcome the new year. The most accessible place to witness Losar is Boudhanath in Kathmandu, where huge crowds gather, throw tsampa (roasted barley flour) into the air, circumambulate the stupa and watch processions. In the high Himalaya, Sherpa villages in the Everest region and Tibetan settlements celebrate with dancing and feasting.

What travellers will see

Expect the Boudhanath stupa wreathed in brilliant new prayer flags; masked Cham dancers in monastery courtyards; clouds of tsampa tossed skyward; devotees prostrating and turning prayer wheels; and warm, festive gatherings. The combination of colour, sound and devotion makes Losar one of the most rewarding winter festivals to experience.

The days before Losar are busy with preparation. Homes are thoroughly cleaned to sweep away the misfortunes of the old year, and families prepare festive foods such as khapse (deep-fried pastries), guthuk (a noodle soup eaten on the eve of Losar, with dumplings containing symbolic surprises that gently tease the eater), and chhang (barley beer). Special offerings called lama losar are made to teachers and monks, and the first day is generally spent in worship and with immediate family, with later days for visiting friends and relatives. At Boudhanath the celebration runs across several days, with the grand flag-changing ceremony and processions of monks drawing the biggest crowds.

For travellers, catching Losar at Boudhanath is one of the easiest ways to experience Himalayan Buddhist culture without leaving Kathmandu.

Tips for visitors

• Go to Boudhanath on the main Gyalpo Losar day for the biggest, most accessible celebration.
• Check which Losar you are catching, as the three traditions fall on different dates.
• Walk clockwise around the stupa and turn prayer wheels with your right hand.
• Dress warmly and respectfully, and ask before photographing monks or dancers — see our Nepal culture and etiquette guide.

Losar follows the winter harvest festival Maghe Sankranti and shares its Buddhist devotion with Buddha Jayanti in spring. See where it sits in the full festival calendar of Nepal.