Dharamsala

Tibetan exiles celebrate the New Year

1 / Happy Losar

Which means "Happy New Year" in Tibetan.

“Happy Losar” looked very odd to our ignorant eyes, but we were quickly educated and discovered that Dharamsala was in the grip of the coldest winter ever recorded anywhere in the solar system. There wasn’t a warm spot in the whole town, and believe me, we searched for one.

Thousands of Tibetans normally descend on this town, home of the Dalai Lama, to celebrate New Year, but they were largely thwarted by heavy snowfall cutting off the routes. The ceremonies still took place, and eventually the weather warmed up.