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Lo-Sar (Tibetan New Year)  2010

at the Yungdrung Bön  Himalayan Menri Monastery

According to the Tibetan lunar calendar, the name of the coming year is the Iron-Tiger year and it begins on February 14^th, 2010.

  In the Bön tradition, the first month of each Tibetan year is considered a holy month and is called Bum-Gyur Da-Wa.

  During this holy month  (in 2010:  February 14^th to March 15^th),

all prayers and practices are multiplied 100,000 times.

Dates                                    Events:

Western date                (Tibetan date)

Feb. 10, 11, 12       (27, 28, 29)          (dGu-gTor Chen-Mo) End of year ritual (day and night non-stop

slow chanting) for averting evil before the New Year starts.

February 13, Sat.  (30, new moon)           (gNam-sTong) New Moon.  Preparations for the Lo-Sar day.

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February 14^th, Sunday             (1)          (Lo-Sar) 1st day of the Tibetan New Year.

                                                At midnight, the monk in charge of the offerings at the Protectors’ Temple will blow an old special conch thirteen times.

Early morning, the first tea (brewed with fresh water) and food of the New Year will be offered to the Abbot of Menri by all the monks and villagers, to wish him a Happy Tibetan New Year.

At day break, in the main temple, an Auspicious Greeting Ceremony will take place: the first food offering (Tshogs) of the New Year will be given by the Abbot of Menri to all the senior lamas, monks and nuns, and to the children and villagers,

all gathered in the temple courtyard.

Feb. 14, 15, 16           (1, 2, 2) (Lo-Sar) traditional Tibetan New Year festival.

New Year festival parties.

February 17^th, Wednesday      (3) (bSang-gSol) ceremony. Shang-Shung and Tibetan Bön prayers and offerings ritual to all universal deities. Traditional scented juniper incense smoke offering ceremony.

                                                  All are encouraged to come.

February 18^th, 19^th          (4, 5) 654^th birth anniversary of Nyame Sherab Gyaltsen, the founder and first abbot of Menri Monastery, Tibet.

Me-Tok  mChod-pa: “Flower offering” ceremony to the 1000 Buddhas.

Feb. 17^th to March 1^st   (3 - 16)           Geshe degree ceremonies for eleven monk candidates.

The culmination of study at the Bön Dialectic School.

(The Geshe degree is equivalent to a western PhD).

February 21^st, Sunday            (7)           ('Cham) traditional Bön masked dance festival.

All visitors are wholeheartedly invited to this full-day event.

A midday meal and tea will be served to all. 

Our local neighbouring people will also happily come

to attend this annual festival.

February 22^nd, Monday              Prayer ceremony by the villagers of the Bönpo settlement.

        (8,  2^nd quarter moon)

February 27, 28           (14, 15)          Birth anniversary of Lord Tonpa Shenrab,

Founder of the Yungdrung Bön religion.

Feb. 28^th, Sunday   (15, full moon)               bCo-lNga (Me-Tok) mChod-pa.

Full moon “Flower offering” ceremony to the 1000 Buddhas.

March 1^st, Monday                  (16)            Geshe degrees closing ceremony.

The Abbot of Menri will award the Geshe degrees to eleven distinguished monk students of the Bön Dialectic School.

March 6^th, 7^th               (21, 22)          (Ma-rGyud Tshogs-mChod)  Mother Tantra ritual

                  (22,  4^th quarter moon) chanted according to the Shen lineage tradition.

March 8^th - 14^th            (23-29)           Retreat of sMar-Ba'i Seng-Ge (“Lion of Speech”)

                                                wisdom deity.

                                                Seven-day retreat: prayers, invocations, chanting, Tshogs and butter lamp offerings performed by all the monk students of the Bön Dialectic School.

March 15^th, Monday                   sMar-Ba'i Seng-Ge “Lion of Speech” wisdom deity

                        (30,  new moon)  initiation performed by the Abbot of Menri Monastery

to all the monks, nuns, children, and villagers.

                        Our thoughts and prayers are always with you.

Himalayan Menri Monastery,

P.O. Kotla Panjola,  Oachghat,  173223,

near Solan,  Sirmour District,  Himachal Pradesh,  INDIA.