- Losoong festival is annually celebrated across the Indian State of Sikkim on the 18th day of the 10th month of the Tibetan Lunar Calendar.
- It is celebrated on the occasion of the end of the harvest season and the end of the tenth month of the Tibetan Year in the rural Sikkim.
- This festival begins on the 1st day of the new moon phase Kurneet Lovo, as per the Lepcha lunisolar Calendar known as Dungkit Karchu.
- The losoong festival also called as Namsoong or Sonam Losoong, by the Sikkimese Bhutia and as Namsoong by the Lepchas. The festival is also celebrated in Nepal and Bhutan.
- The festival is marked in the month of December/January. The dates for 2022 are January 3 in Sikkim and January 4 in Mizoram.
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Losoong ( Namsoong) is similar to the Tibetan New year festival Losar, which takes place in February each year. It is a Buddhist festival celebrated among the Tibetan, Bhutanese, Nepalese and Monpa people of Arunachal Pradesh. The main celebrations of the Losoong Festival begin after the priests offer ‘Chi-Fut’ to the gods. The Chi-Fut is a special kind of alcohol and is quite famous locally. After this ritual, an effigy of a symbolic demon king is burnt which majorly represents the destruction of the evil.
Other Festivals of Sikkim
- Bumchu – In January at the Tashiding monastery, the Bumchu festival is renowned in the West Sikkim.
- Sonam Lochar – It is an important festival of Sikkim for the Tamang community, the biggest and the widespread amongst all communities in Sikkim. This carnival takes place in January-February
- Pang Lhabsol – It is another matchless festival of Sikkim which became famous during the reign of the third ruler of Sikkim, Chakdor Namgyal.
- Saga Dawa – It is an amazing festival that is triple blessed. This is a very sacred Buddhist festival, especially for the Mahayana Buddhists. This festival takes place in the beautiful city of Gangtok.
- Tihaar – This festival is another important festival that is celebrated as the Festival of Lights in the state of Sikkim which is somewhat like Diwali.
Important points for all competitive exams
- Sikkim is a state in northeast India, bordered by Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal. Part of the Himalayas, the area has a dramatic landscape that includes India’s highest mountain, 8,586m Kangchenjunga.
- Chief Minister of Sikkim – PS Golay.
- Governor of Sikkim – Ganga Prasad.
- Sikkim’s capital and largest city – Gangtok.