Chinese New year, also known as Losar, is the most important festival in the Tibetan calendar. This year, Tibetan New Years day coincides with the Spring Festival.
Losar is celebrated for 15 days, but the first 3 days are most important. A series of folk activities will be held to celebrate. Losar is a time for family reunions and feasts, typically featuring Kharbse, a popular dish made from flour and yak milk butter and guthuk, a traditional snack similar to a dumpling.
The square in front of the Potala Palace in the heart of Lhasa is spruced up with an ornamental garden and new flags made of colorfully-painted Tibetan clothing, which bear auspicious symbols for the new year.