Losoong / Namsoong

Losoong (called Namsoong by the Lepcha) is the Sikkimese New Year, celebrated in December to mark the end of the harvest. It is one of the most joyful festivals in the state, a time of family feasting, archery contests and thanksgiving, when the monasteries — Rumtek, Pemayangtse, Phodong and others — hold spectacular masked cham dances (Chaam) in which monks in elaborate costumes and masks drive out the demons of the old year.

For a visitor, Losoong is the best time to witness Sikkim's Buddhist monastic dances at their finest, set against the winter mountains, with the whole state in festive spirit.