SSC
The Losar festival, celebrated in Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, traces its origin to the:
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Answer: Option A — Tibetan New Year
Detailed Solution
Losar is the Tibetan New Year, celebrated by the Buddhist communities of the Himalayan regions of India, such as Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh (Lahaul and Spiti) and the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal, as well as in Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal. The word "Losar" means "new year" ("lo" means year and "sar" means new).
Losar is usually celebrated in February or March, on the first day of the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar. Its origins go back to a pre-Buddhist winter incense-burning festival of the Bon religion of Tibet, which later became a Buddhist festival. The celebrations last for about 15 days, although the main celebrations are held in the first three days.
In the days before Losar, homes are cleaned and decorated, to drive out the bad luck of the old year. People prepare special foods, such as "khapse" (fried biscuits) and "guthuk" (a noodle soup made on the night before Losar). On the first day, people wear new clothes, visit monasteries to offer prayers, light butter lamps, hang new prayer flags and exchange greetings of "Losar Tashi Delek" ("Happy New Year"). Monasteries perform masked dances (cham), and people visit family and friends, exchange gifts and enjoy feasts and traditional drinks such as chhang.
In Ladakh, Losar is celebrated about two months earlier than in Tibet, in the 11th month of the Tibetan calendar (usually December). According to tradition, this practice began in the 17th century, when King Jamyang Namgyal of Ladakh advanced the celebration so that his army could celebrate before going to war. The Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh celebrate Losar at Tawang, and in Sikkim, the Tamang and Gurung communities have their own new year festivals, Sonam Lochar and Tamu Lochar.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Birthday of Guru Padmasambhava is celebrated at the Hemis festival.
- ✗Enlightenment of the Buddha is celebrated on Buddha Purnima (Saga Dawa).
- ✗Spring sowing of barley is not the origin of Losar.
Quick tip
Remember: Losar = the Tibetan New Year ("Losar Tashi Delek"). In Ladakh it is celebrated earlier, in the 11th month, a custom started by King Jamyang Namgyal.
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.