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Losar () is the Tibetan word for "new year". ''lo'' holds the semantic field "year, age"; ''sar'' holds the semantic field "new, fresh". Losar is an important holiday in Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan.〔(BBC - Religion & Ethics - Losar ), bbc.co.uk〕〔(Festival Nepal 2014: Tamu, Sherpa: Gyalpo Losar 2014 Nepal ), imnepal.com〕 Before the Tibetan New Year, Nyi Shu Gu is celebrated on the eve of the last night of the year. Losar is celebrated for 15 days, with the main celebrations on the first three days. On the first day of Losar, a beverage called ''changkol'' is made from ''chhaang'' (a Tibetan cousin of beer). The second day of Losar is known as King's Losar ''(gyalpo losar)''. Losar is traditionally preceded by the five day practice of Vajrakilaya. Because the Uyghurs adopted the Chinese calendar, and the Mongols and Tibetans adopted the Uyghur calendar, Losar occurs near or on the same day as the Chinese New Year and the Mongolian New Year, but the traditions of Losar are unique to Tibet, and predate both Indian and Chinese influences. Originally, ancient celebrations of Losar occurred solely on the winter solstice, and was only moved to coincide with the Chinese and Mongolian New Year by a leader of the Gelug school of Buddhism. Losar is also celebrated by Yolmo, Sherpa, Tamang, Gurung, and Bhutia, although different regions in the country have their own respective new year. Losar is also celebrated by Tibetan Buddhists Worldwide. Yolmo Losar is observed on the same day as of the Chinese New Year. ==History== The celebration of Losar predates Buddhism in Tibet and can be traced back to the pre-Buddhist Bön period. In this early Bön tradition, every winter a spiritual ceremony was held, in which people offered large quantities of incense to appease the local spirits, deities and 'protectors' (Tibetan: ''(chos skyong; )'' Sanskrit: ''dharmapalas''). This religious festival later evolved into an annual Buddhist festival which is believed to have originated during the reign of Pude Gungyal, the ninth King of Tibet. The festival is said to have begun when an old woman named Belma introduced the measurement of time based on the phases of the moon. This festival took place during the flowering of the apricot trees of the Lhokha Yarla Shampo region in autumn, and it may have been the first celebration of what has become the traditional farmers' festival. It was during this period that the arts of cultivation, irrigation, refining iron from ore and building bridges were first introduced in Tibet. The ceremonies which were instituted to celebrate these new capabilities can be recognized as precursors of the Losar festival. Later when the rudiments of astrology, based on the five elements, were introduced in Tibet, this farmer's festival became what we now call the Losar or New Year's festival. Losar is also known as Bal Gyal Lo. Bal is Tibet, Gyal is King, Lo is year. The Tibetan new year has been celebrated since the first King's enthronement celebration. It was started with the first King. That was why it has been known as Bal Gyal Lo. The 14th Dalai Lama (1998: p. 233) frames the importance of consulting the Nechung Oracle for Losar: Tenzin Wangyal (2002: p.xvii) frames his experience of Tibetan cultural practice of Losar in relation to elemental celebrations and offerings to Nāga (Tibetan: ''Klu''):〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=klu )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Losar」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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