By Mike Kinney
The Gyuto Foundation, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in East Richmond Heights, celebrated the Tibetan New Year, called Losar, on Friday, Feb. 28.
Venerable Thupten Donyo, founder and director of the Foundation, estimated somewhere between 500-600 people joined the event at the monastery at 6408 Bernhard Ave.
Donyo said the festival celebrates the start of the lunar calendar year, the harvest season and new beginnings.
“Losar is celebrated by Tibetan Buddhists and other Himalayan communities,” Donyo said.
“There are three important days for Tibetans at the beginning of our New Year,” he added. “On the first day, the Tibetan community visits all of the nearby Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries. Then on the second day, Tibetans will go visit their parents. And on the third day, they will go visit friends and other family members.”
Ven. Donyo said Tibetans look at this year’s celebration optimistically, bringing in elements of spirituality, family and friends in the first three days of Losar.
Pema Dolma, a guest at this year’s celebration in Richmond, said it’s one day out of the year when friends and family gather at the monastery. Her friend Dronzm Yanphe nodded her head in agreement.
