Celebrating Losar, the Tibetan New Year

‍“Wherever you live is your temple, if you treat it like one”

~Gautama Buddha

Several years ago I began observing the festival of Losar, the Tibetan Lunar New Year by ‘planting’ prayer flags outside the entrance to my home. They could be seen each time I left and returned; while I prepared a meal or washed dishes; as I worked from my desk… several times a day I would pause and enjoy their movement in the breeze.

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"Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The flags do not carry prayers to gods, which is a common misconception; rather, the Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space."

The first year I simply got out the ladder and hung them up so that I could imagine myself, our household and our neighborhood benefitting from the blessings imprinted on the cheerfully colored fabric.  But with each passing year, as I watched the colors fade, I began to envision a more interactive approach, wishing to contribute blessings, as well as receive them.  Losar became an opportunity to wash windows, clear away clutter from the entrance and thoroughly clean my workspace.  I also began to have thoughts of resuming a meditation practice that I had let slip away more than a decade earlier.

In addition to clearing and cleansing the area, I decided to add my own blessings to the prayer flags before hanging them up. I dedicated each to a loved one, ancestors, my community, teachers, the earth, the universe...  I pulled a Medicine Card from the deck and read the description while thinking of who or what would receive the blessing.  I dedicated the last, but not least card, to myself.  I was quietly pleased when Mountain Lion appeared, one of my totem animals.  It was exactly the serendipitous encouragement that I needed to continue this practice in the years that followed.

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At the moment, this year’s Tibetan prayer flags are ‘resting’ in a dish with white sage, selenite, a crow feather and frog on my meditation altar.  Last year was the first Losar in a new home and I’m no longer able to see the prayer flags while washing dishes or working at my desk.  However, they can now hang from a balcony with a view of the sunrise, surrounded by plants.  They flutter in the breeze as I write my morning pages. I am able to see them before I close my eyes to meditate. After the bell rings and I open my eyes, they remind me of the blessings I receive each day, as well as those I’m able to offer.

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Meet the author

Rebecca Zendejas has had a lifelong fascination with places of worship and the creation of sacred space within daily routines. Inspired by the celebrations of Samhain and Dias de los Muertos she created the Community Memorial Altar at Paradise Found last year. As an artist and woodworker, Rebecca designs and creates one of a kind personal altars for the home and office.  She can be found on Instagram @zendohous or contacted by email: zendohous@gmail.com.

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Come to Paradise Found to find your own Tibetan prayer flags!
You can find sage, selenite, and other ceremonial items on our website,
and the Medicine Cards in our online bookshop.