Tibetan new year ushered in quietly

February 25, 2009

Tibetan new year ushered in quietly

Per The International Herald Tribune, today, Feb. 25, 2009, ushers in the Tibetan new year, but many see this new year (Losar) as a time of mourning, not celebration. Some Tibetans are holding vigils instead of parties, as a statement against the Chinese government's denouncement of spiritual leader the Dalai Lama among other complaints.

Some people in and around Tibet have started a No Losar movement, an official boycott of new year celebrations.

@action1106 ( 聲援No Losar 燭光晚會：悼念受難圖博人民: 博巴不過新年 Say No to Losar[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for.. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/action1106/~3/546533488/no-losar.html

(No Losar candlelit vigil solidarity: in memory of the people suffering Pinatubo: Carabobo But New Year's Say No to Losar)

Some Twitterers reacted to the protests:

@lhadon (Hong Kong): It's late here. No news from Tibet. All is quiet. Too quiet. Here's OUR NATION for Losar 2136 http://is.gd/kMbb

@malcolmmoore: (Shanghai, China) : The first day of Losar, Tibetan New Year, apparently passed by calmly in Lhasa. We hear there were no explosions or violence.

Here are some others reactions from the Twitterverse.

@seastarerrin (Toronto, Canada) : happy losar to all those who take part. One day the Tibetans will free tibet.

@GrassRoutesTrav (Oakland, CA) : Wishing everyone a happy Tibetan New Year! Losar Tashidelek! Welcome in the year of Earth Cow!

@Dagriffin: Today is the Tibetan NewYear (Losar). As today goes, so goes the year. Good luck!

@tashiest: (Boise, ID) : Today is Losar, the Tibetan New Year. It's the most important holiday in Tibet, but nobody there is celebrating... http://bit.ly/xqL9j