Losar ( ) is the Tibetan word for "new year." blank">Lo holds the semantic field "year", "age"; sar holds the semantic field "new", "fresh". Losar is the most important holiday in Tibet.
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. Although it often falls on the same day as the Chinese New Year, it is not directly connected to this holiday. However, it is related to Tsagaan sar in Mongolia and to the Korean New Year which also fall around the same time, since they are both based on similar calendars.
Losar is also the beginning of the New Year in Bhutan. The Nepalese New Year, referred to as either Losar or Lhochaar, is celebrated by the Gurung people, who usually count their age by calculating Lho.
