On Monday, more than 60 Tibetans gathered at Most Holy Redeemer Church in Hadley, Massachusetts, to celebrate the Dalai Lama's 91st birthday and mark the conclusion of the "Year of Compassion," an initiative of the Central Tibetan Administration.
The event opened with a ritual in which participants chanted "Om" three times and tossed tsampa (barley flour) into the air. Attendees also made mandala offerings by bowing and placing a white ceremonial scarf before a photo of the Dalai Lama.
The celebration continued with speeches, traditional Tibetan songs and dances, and performances by students from a local Tibetan Sunday school.
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