The Losar Labor of Love
The ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Losar event, held on March 5th in the Guggenheim building, was co-sponsored by the Tibet Himalaya Initiative, the Department of Geography, and the Department of Anthropology.
This year’s Losar, or Tibetan New Year celebration, welcomed over 100 attendees.
The event officially began with opening remarks from Professor Carole McGranahan and Professor Emily Yeh. In remembrance of those affected by the recent Dingri earthquake, everyone in attendance observed a moment of silence.
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Following this, a ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Tibetan student gave a brief presentation on Losar and its diverse celebrations across the Himalayas.ÌýThe ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Tibetan students, with the support of Little Lama’s Café at Naropa University, prepared all the food for the event.
The spread included a variety of traditional Tibetan dishes such as dresil (sweet rice with dried fruits and nuts), momos (dumplings), khapse (fried Tibetan cookies), sweet tea, and more.Ìý
In the weeks leading up to Losar, six ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Tibetan students along with friends from the community and the geography department dedicated combined 18 hours individually—9 hours making khapse and another 9 hours crafting momos. It was truly a labor of love, shared with their peers in celebration of the New Year.
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Throughout the evening, participants engaged in various cultural activities, including lungta-making, zodiac animal fortunes, Himalayan art coloring, and guthuk fortune playdoh balls.
The night concluded with a lively gorshey, or circle dance, bringing the community together through dance.Ìý
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