#PickoftheWeek | New Year’s Events Continue in Queens. Celebrate Losar on Saturday!
BY QEDC It's In Queens
Queens has great New Year’s festivals…in four distinct months.
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) is in autumn. The national one is on Dec. 31, and the pan-Asian, Lunar one is mid-winter. Now, it’s time for the Tibetan/Himalayan celebration.
A seven-hour Losar Fest will unfold inside the St. James Episcopal Parish House in Elmhurst on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 10 am.
Hosted by the New York Tibetan Service Center, this experience will include the traditional circle dance, special performances, food, and vendors.
Admission is free, but there will non-mandatory fund-raising activities, such as raffles, to support NYTSC.
Losar is an ancient festival determined by the Tibetan calendar. (It’s similar to the Nepalese Lhochhar.) Celebrated over 15 days, rituals include decorating homes with fragrant flowers, eating noodle soup (Guthuk), drinking barley beer, spending time with family, dancing, singing, and giving gifts to children.
NYTSC is a nonprofit that administrates educational programs, social services, and cultural classes, including a Tibetan school and theatre.
The parish hall is located at 84-13 Broadway.
Images: New York Tibetan Service Center