Losoong Festival
| Losoong | |
|---|---|
 A new year festival at Lachung monastery in North Sikkim | |
| Official name | Losoong |
| Also called | Sonam Losoong, Namsoong |
| Observed by | Bhutias,Lepchas |
| Significance | Sikkimese New Year Lepcha New Year |
| Date | 1st day of the 11th month of theTibetan lunar calendar. |
| 2023 date | 13 December |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Part ofa serieson |
| Tibetan Buddhism |
|---|
 |
Losoongmarks the end of harvest season,[1]of theBhutiatribe, celebrated every year in December.
Tradition
[edit]Based on theTibetan Lunar Calendar
- Losoong falls on the 1st day of the 11th month, when farmers celebrate the harvest.[2]
- It is a traditional festival of theBhutias.It is a time when the farmers rejoice and celebrate their harvest. TheLepchasalso celebrate it and call itNamsoong.It is celebrated by inviting friends and family with traditional gaity and celebrations.[3]
- The festival have been adapted from the traditions and rituals of the Tibetan New Year,Losar.
- The festival is preceded by masked dance at thePhodongandRumtek Monasteriesin Sikkim.[4]
Losoong is celebrated not only in India but also in Nepal and Bhutan.
The dance forms performed in the festival depict narrativized tales from the life of Padmasambhava (or Guru Ugyen).[5]
Celebration
[edit]Celebration begins after the priest offers 'Chi-Fut', special alcohol, to the gods. After the offering to gods the effigy of the demon King is burnt. Burning the demon represents destroying the evil.
Certain competitions are organized and merrymaking lasts for several days. The festival is also calledSonam Losoong.Losoong festival is very famous in eastern India.
References
[edit]- ^"Losoong (Sikkimese New Year)".Windhorse Tours.Retrieved11 August2017.
- ^"State Portal, Government of Sikkim, India - Festivals In Sikkim".www.sikkim.gov.in.Retrieved11 August2017.
- ^FTD.Travel."Lepcha(Losoong), Bhutia(Namsoong), Sonam Lhochar - Sikkim New Year".www.ftd.travel.Retrieved11 August2017.
- ^Ray, Arundhati (2001).Sikkim: A Traveller's Guide.Orient Blackswan.ISBN9788178240084.
- ^"Lasoong festival is celebrated in which of the following states? - General Knowledge Today".www.gktoday.in.Retrieved16 September2018.