Loshar Festival in Darjeeling

Festivals and Events in Darjeeling is a reflection of the diverse Indian culture and tradition that has developed through ages. Hinduism, Buddhism and to a large extent Christianity, as propagated and developed by the Britishers during their rule in India, is predominant. The Tibetans who constitutes a major part of the population celebrate the Loshar Festival in Darjeeling with great flare and festivity.

Loshar Festival in Darjeeling which is the new year of the Tibetans usually falls in the month of February. It is an important festival in the Tibetan calendar year and its celebration continues for a week. It is celebrated with great enthusiasm and spirit by the youthful Tibetans. The youths take to the streets performing the traditional Yak dance dressed in multi colored clothes. They walk down the street singing and dancing with sacred folk lures that fill the air that makes the atmosphere electrifying.

Loshar Festival in Darjeeling is a colorful event that continues for about a week. In the course of celebration they dance and distribute Sampa all along as greetings to herald the New Year with shouts of Tashi Delek. During the exhaustive week long celebration they deck themselves in colorful clothes and jewelry singing songs and dancing to the tune of music.

This is one of the most happening times in Darjeeling when a wide array of Tibetan food is cooked and distributed among all exchanging great joy, mirth and merriment. Loshar Festival can be traced back to the 6th century BC when the Tibetans practiced the Bon religion. This religious festival has developed into a Buddhist Festival and is continued since the time of Pude Gungyal, the ninth King of Tibet.

The local inhabitants of Tibetan origin continue to celebrate the Loshar Festival in Darjeeling with the same enthusiasm and spirit as in Tibet. Darjeeling at this time of the year gets a bridal touch with the streets decorated with colorful papers.