BEIJING,Feb.16 Monks of the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China celebrated the forthcoming Tibetan New Year (Losar) of the Wooden Sheep, as well as the Chinese New Year in Beijing on Feb.15.

Over 100 students and staff of the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China participated in the activity, including the table tennis matches, basketball matches, tug-of-war competitions, dart games, ring throwing games, word puzzles and drum-beating with closed eyes.

The results of a Tibetan calligraphy competition that was held earlier were also released, and eight calligraphy works were awarded prizes. It was the first time the college held a Tibetan calligraphy competition to celebrate the forthcoming Tibetan New Year.

Monks who won the various games received vouchers to exchange for prizes such as backpacks, dictionaries, pillows and toiletries for daily use including towels, toothpaste, body wash or shampoo. The college provides free room and board for every monk; therefore they only need to buy some articles of daily use.

Wang Changyu, executive vice president of the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College, wrote many scrolls of New Year greetings for the students and teachers of the college. The Tibetan-styled New Year scrolls are a necessity for Tibetan New Year, similar with the Chinese New Year, however the traditional Tibetan auspicious patterns printed on them make them different.

It is customary for the students to celebrate the Chinese lunar New Year and the Tibetan New Year (Losar) each year, and this year the two were celebrated together in advance as the festivals will fall on the same day.

As the monks come from different Tibetan-inhabited areas in western China, it can be time consuming for them to travel back and forth between different monasteries in Tibet and Beijing. So they will not go back home for family reunions during Losar, instead they will, as usual go back during the four-month vacation in summer.

At present there are three Tibetan Buddhism classes in the College: one for the advanced "Tho Ran Pa" degree and two for the "Nzhing Ram Ba" intermediate degree. The monk students of the College come from each of the different sects of Tibetan Buddhism, and from Bonism, which is the original religion of Tibet.