Rituals at monasteries in Ladakh begin with the sounding of a three-meter-long horn. This horn, which produces a deep solemn sound, can be shortened and elongated like a telescope. Other than the horns of various sizes, the rituals feature musical instruments such as drums, gong, flutes, and bells.

The people of Ladakh in the Himalayas practice Tibetan Buddhism. In the gompa, or monastery, the esoteric cham rituals centered around masked dancing are held once a year. While the cham is usually held in the bitter cold of winter, some monasteries such as Hemis gompa practice the ritual during summer and thus are better known to the rest of the world. One of the most famous cham rituals is the Tsechu festival, conducted every twelve years, in the sixth month of the year of the monkey according to the Tibetan calendar.

In winter, the temperature drops to -30 to -40 degrees Celsius. The cold and snow cut off all external transportation, save for light aircrafts. This is an arid area with almost no rain in the summer. Although snow moistens the ground in winter, the snowfall is not heavy by any means. It is during the cold of winter when the people of Ladakh conduct the losar.

Losar can mean New Year or a village ritual to chase out evil spirits and bring in good luck for the New Year. Losar as a ritual refers to the act of blessing the village and discarding the storma, a symbol of evil, outside the village to chase away evil spirits.
Losar begins with the village people designated as lama jogis bathing in the river and putting on their special outfits. They hold goats’ horns in their hands, wear wigs made of yak tails and cover their faces in white flour. The villagers take turns each year to take on the role of lama jogi. Young people learn the songs and dances and how to conduct the ritual from the elders.