Tibetan 'Losar'
Yummy, 'Khabsey' - the Famous Tibetan Losar Food! |
Let me give you an idea of what it means to celebrate Tibetan New Year - 'Losar'.
First of all if you live with a Tibetan family you should know that the first day of the Losar celebrations, you are not allowed to go outside to meet friends at their homes. For this you will have to wait for the second day of Losar. But then it gets interesting. The second Losar day you must go and meet your friends. The visit usually begins by being served boiled 'chang' (local alcohol) in which they put something!!! Together with the 'chang' you will enjoy sweet rice with dry fruits.
Then follows lunch: Here in Nepal this may well be local or Indian food according to where your hosts grew up.
About the lunch is nothing very particular, except the quantity. You eat and eat and eat. When you feel full they will ask you to open your mouth and if they see some empty space they will serve you again more food.
It looks like they don’t really appreciate emptiness - or maybe they truly realized it, - the emptiness of your stomach, it is.
Consequently you eat until you absolutely can’t eat more!!!
Consequently you eat until you absolutely can’t eat more!!!
To assist the digestion, of course, all this food is accompanied by whiskey. As for the whiskey again the characteristic is the quantity. It seems as if the Tibetans prepare a reserve of whiskey for the next Losar one year in advance. When you drink and your glass is going to finish, it will be filled again and again and again.
So if you like to study about emptiness and want to try to apply it in your everyday life, come here and enjoy the Losar celebration in Nepal!
~Gregory from Mauritius
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