Tibetan art, Butter sculpture, Kumbum monastery, Buddha, Tibetan Buddhism

Losar ལོ་གསར Festive Moments

Written by on in Losar, Spirituality, Tibetan Culture, Tibetan Tradition
Tibetan lady having tea, losar
Having tea with cousins in the guest room of my uncle’s house.

 

There are numerous Losar activities here on the Tibetan Plateau. May it be gathering for tea, steamy yak meat dumplings, butter sculpture, altar ornaments, or Bön practitioners performing dances.

Sharing with you are pictures of some events that I’ve been blessed to be part of. I hope these visuals would bring you a sense of celebration and enjoyment to your day there on the other side of the world.

Tibetan goodies, Tibetan food, losar
Deep-fried goodies and a few pieces of dried Tibetan-style cheese on top, a part of the table display.

 

Butter sculpture, Kumbum monastery, Buddha
Butter Sculpture, a yearly masterpiece made of butter, is presently by Kumbum Monastery (སྐུ་འབུམ་བྱམས་པ་གླིང།) near Siling /Xining, during Losar. Buddhists worship it seeing the Buddhahood, and tourists admire it for its detail and skillfulness.

 

Tibetan women, losar, Tibetan party
A corner of Losar (New Year) dinner party.

 

Yak-meat dumplings, Tibetan cooks, Tibetan food
Dumplings with yak meat and scallions that will soon be served for lunch.

 

Buddhist rituals, Tibetan offerings, losar
As every family decorated the doors, here is an altar divinely ornamented, next to our village temple.

 

Bon religious dance, Buddhists dance
Bon practitioners are performing a religious dance in Mhaba village of Rebgong, Amdo.

 

Tibetan girl, Tibetan clothes
An adorable Tibetan girl is on the way to Rongbo (Longwu) Monastery རོང་བོ་དགོན་ཆེན, the principal monastery of Gelugpa school in Rebgong, wearing nylon-fiber Tibetan attire, which used to be made of sheepskin.

 

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I was born and raised on the Tibetan plateau. And I sing and dance with the utensils in my kitchen, while remembering and storytelling in my mind. Consulting in the realm of user experience (UX) design now based in Madison, WI, US, I’m blessed with the positive responses to my design contributions in the field and winning several awards. Growing up in the mountains of Rebgong (རེབ་གོང། Rebkong, Tongren), a cultural hub, I learned the art of making comfort food and the essence of what it takes to make juicy yak meat dumplings that will splash in your mouth while the delicate wrapper stays perfectly intact. And no one trained me better in cooking than my beloved late grandmother, Sonam. My love of cooking fresh meals daily, gardening and storytelling has continued to this day. And my friends here in the West are continually fascinated with my rich heritage, the dishes I cook, and the stories I share. “Beyond Her Kitchen” is where I celebrate Tibetan culture through food and stories, honoring disadvantaged women & girls. Continue reading at: https://beyondherkitchen.com/meet-jolma

19 Comments

  2. Jolma, your website is so unique: candid, colorful photos, wonderful narrative. Keep up the great work! Cordially, Larry

  3. I shared this story with my Facebook friends. (Maybe you could put an FB link on the page for quick, easy sharing?) The photos are fantastic, especially the little girl you so correctly called “adorable.” For me, it’s such a privilege even just to see traditions otherwise not accessible to non-Tibetans. Please do carry on.

    • Hi Joel, it’s so nice to see you dropping by. I’m delighted you are learning Tibetan traditions here at Beyond Her Kitchen.
      As for the Facebook link, there are social media links on the summary page, and on each post but towards bottom of the page. This seems causing a bit of accessibility issue; I will definitely try to bring them up higher so they are more visible. Thank you for the suggestion and sharing the link, Joel.

  4. Wonderful pictures! I am so homesick for Amdo. Someday I’d like to know more about the Bon activities in Rebgong 🙂

  5. The photos could win a photo contest. Love the one of the women looking at the dumplings!

    • Thank you, Rose. I attended a Tibetan woman’s 80th birthday during Losar (new year), and we had those dumplings for lunch, along with milk tea, yak meat and noodle soup.

  6. Beautiful blog, vibrant photos, like a personal invitation to a different culture. I can see I’ll learn a lot from following you.

  7. Stunning photos. Need to catch up with your lovely posts. Looks like I’ve been missing out.

  12. […] Losar Festive Moments A variety of visual expressions from Losar will offer a sense of celebration and tradition for your enjoyment. May it be gathering for steamy yak meat dumplings, attending butter sculpture showcase, Bönpractitioners performing dances, or something terribly adorable that you cannot miss: Experience Losar festival moments that you will not forget anytime soon. […]

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