Losar in McLeod Ganj

Trip Start Aug 25, 2003

Trip End Jul 18, 2004

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Flag of India McLeod Ganj, India
Thursday, February 26, 2004

Ahhh yes, McLeod Ganj. Land of mountains, clean air, huge evergreen trees, and many, many exiled Tibetians. The time here slipped by slowly at first as we really felt like we should be on the move, since we are usually looking at the next destination we're going to. Once we readjusted to staying in one place for awhile the time seemed to fly. After those first few days we had our favorite places to get breakfast, lunch, tea, go online; of course that all ended when Losar, the three day celebration of Tibetan New Year, hit.

Losar seems to be almost the polar opposite of the western New Year. People celebrate by being with their families and setting off a few firecrackers. Most Tibetans seemed to take the time to do some spring cleaning. All made huge food offerings which is displayed and then after Losar gets eaten. Overall, Losar seems like a great time for Tibetans to be with their families

Mountains in the Clouds en Route to Triund

. Of course this means it was a bit more difficult for Sarah and I since all of our favorite places were closed. Still, I think the local Tibetans needed more of a break than Sarah or I needed good momos.

Losar is not just celebration of a new year, it is a holy time for Tibetans. As such, there was alot of activity in the monsataries surroundnig McLeod Ganj. The Dalai Lama was rumored to make an appearance at the "main temple" in McLeod Ganj on the first day of Losar but for whatever reason, there were many rumors on why, he did not come. However, as I said, there was still much activity. Throughout the days and nights of Losar we could hear trumpets and gongs being played at specific times from the mountain sides. On the first morning of Losar, Sarah and I woke up to see a huge fire going on the balcony of the next building. We like to think that whoever lit it knew what they were doing. Later that morning, at the main temple, there was more music, first by horns and cymbals, then later by monks singing prayers in really low and throaty voices. We saw how Tibetan monks debate, clapping when they make a point, and even saw a bit of Tibetan dance.

We had made friends with one family before Losar started. Dolma and Dorjee run a tiny restaurant near the outskirts of town and they invited us for tea with their family on the last day of Losar. They really made us feel welcome and we were really excited to spend some time with them on one of their three days off a year. We learned alot about Tibetan culture and the situation for Tibetans in and out of Tibet. Their story of starting a business in McLeod Ganj really brought how how hard life can be for people getting a new start in a new land.

Now with only one day left here I'm just trying to soak in the fresh mountain air while I can. The next few days will be busy. We're going to Amritsar, Delhi, Bangkok, and Hongkong within a week - definitely not as peaceful as hanging out in McLeod Ganj.