Tibetan Losar Celebrated in the UK Parliament on the Day of His Holiness Receiving the Prestigious Gold Mercury International Award

London: The All Party Parliamentary Group on Tibet (APPGT) hosted the Tibetan New Year celebrations at the Churchill Room, House of Commons, UK Parliament on Monday evening, 31 March 2025. On the same day, His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama was honoured at his residence in Dharamshala with the Gold Mercury International Award 2025 for outstanding leadership in peace, compassion, and environmental stewardship.

As the host for the event, Chris Law MP, Chair of the APPG Tibet, welcomed everyone to the event marking the Tibetan New Year of the Wood Snake explaining that this is a celebration of Tibetan identity, history and culture. He noted with pride that the APPGT had been reestablished and that it already had 20 members and is growing. He also expressed his hope to continue raising Tibet through this group in Westminster.

The event was co-organised with the support of Free Tibet, the Secretariat for the APPGT; the Tibetan Community in Britain and the Office of Tibet, London.

Climate Minister and Member of Parliament for Bristol East, the Rt Hon Kerry McCarthy, joined the celebration to express her appreciation and support for the rich Tibetan cultural heritage. Sarah Champion MP, Jessica Morden MP, Alex Sobel MP, all from the Labour Party; and Pete Wishart SNP and Wera Hobhouse Liberal Democrats MP attended and expressed their best wishes to all Tibetans.

In his welcome speech, Tenzin Kunga, Secretary, Office of Tibet London, thanked everyone present for joining in the Losar celebration. Besides the parliamentarians, the guests included representatives from faith groups, former MPs, long-time Tibet supporters, allies from the Uyghur and Hongkonger groups, academics, V-TAG members and Tibetans. One of the honoured guests was Gelongma Ani Pema Deki (Emma Slade), a British yoga and meditation instructor, author and charity founder.

Tenzin Kunga explained the significance of the date, 31 March, a day when His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama reached the safety of India after a perilous journey across the border, and noted the lifelong contributions of His Holiness to humanity, and informed the gathering about the Gold Mercury International Award 2025 that was bestowed on His Holiness, drawing loud applause from the crowd. He noted the upcoming 90th birthday of His Holiness and how it would be celebrated as the Year of Compassion.

Displaying His Holiness’ new book, Voice for the Voiceless, Tenzin Kunga, noted that His Holiness has unambiguously stated that his reincarnation will be born in a free country. Acknowledging the UK’s standing as a global leader in defending freedom of religion and belief, he called on the government to issue a clear statement affirming that the succession of the Dalai Lama is a matter solely for His Holiness to decide. He urged the parliamentarians present and friends with influence to extend their support on this important matter.

Delivering the keynote speech, Gelongma Ani Pema Deki, recalled the amazing moment of her audience with His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama and highlighted his critical contribution in brilliantly extolling the virtues of love, compassion, peace and non-violence not just through words but in action, too. Gelongma underlined the great need for leaders like His Holiness in this otherwise conflict-ridden world.

The Tibetan Community in Britain’s Cultural Secretary introduced the Tibetan cultural performances, which began with a remarkable Tibetan opera-style ode (Namthar) to wish His Holiness a long and healthy life. This was followed by an impressive dranyen-shabdro dance and a beautiful Tibetan group dance. These lively performances enthralled the guests, with some of them, including the MPs trying to match the Tibetan dance steps during the circle dance at the end.

Phuntsok, Chairperson of the Tibetan Community in Britain, delivered the vote of thanks, drawing the formal part of the evening to a close. The MPs and guests stayed on to listen to the V-TAG members explain about their campaign collecting handwritten birthday messages for His Holiness, and to experience the festive mood in the room. Two MPs agreed to join the APPG Tibet adding to the membership of the group. It was a memorable evening for everyone.

-Report filed by Office of Tibet, London