DHARMASALA: Tibetans have decided against celebrating the Lunar New Year for a second year in remembrance of the suffering of people in Tibet, the Dalai Lama said today.

The Tibetan spiritual leader asked his followers not to lose hope, saying people in Tibet have shown great courage and sincerity in facing China’s crackdown after uprisings in March 2008.

Tibetans in exile also called off New Year celebrations last year. “Tibetans are only observing religious ceremonies and not celebrating the New Year,” the Dalai Lama told more than a thousand Tibetans in exile who dressed in traditional finery and greeted him at the Tsuglakhang temple.