Losar: The monastery conducts celebrations of Tibetan and Buddhist holidays.  Losar is the festival which marks the Tibetan New Year. During this, week-long festivities take place and other Buddhist dignitaries such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Sakya Trizin visit the monastery and give lectures, bless the monks and perform various ceremonies. Buddhists and non-Buddhists visit the monastery, and partake the message of respect for all religious traditions. 

Tsedrub Thabshay Khajor Puja: The week-long (from 6th to 12th March) Tsedrub Thabshay Khajor Puja (Amita Aayu) is performed by the monks, led by the Vajra Master at the monastery. This is done to pray for the long life of His Holiness, the 17th Karmapa.

Dungdrub Puja: At Saga Dawa, the anniversary of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death, one hundred million mantras are recited by the monks and lay devotees in the monastery. Sermons and teachings are also delivered on this occasion. The dungdrub puja is conducted by the lay sangha of Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre for peace, to help people follow ... More

Losar: The monastery conducts celebrations of Tibetan and Buddhist holidays.  Losar is the festival which marks the Tibetan New Year. During this, week-long festivities take place and other Buddhist dignitaries such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Sakya Trizin visit the monastery and give lectures, bless the monks and perform various ceremonies. Buddhists and non-Buddhists visit the monastery, and partake the message of respect for all religious traditions. 

Tsedrub Thabshay Khajor Puja: The week-long (from 6th to 12th March) Tsedrub Thabshay Khajor Puja (Amita Aayu) is performed by the monks, led by the Vajra Master at the monastery. This is done to pray for the long life of His Holiness, the 17th Karmapa.

Dungdrub Puja: At Saga Dawa, the anniversary of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death, one hundred million mantras are recited by the monks and lay devotees in the monastery. Sermons and teachings are also delivered on this occasion. The dungdrub puja is conducted by the lay sangha of Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre for peace, to help people follow the path of the Buddha's teachings.

Mahakala puja: The monks perform a week-long Mahakala puja along with ritual dances at the end of the Buddhist year (February or March in the Gregorian calendar). There was a great Mahakala lama dance performed in 1999 for public viewing for the first time in the history of the monastery. Since then there was a revival of this tradition and now it takes place annually. During the dance, the monks dance in the courtyard amidst three life-sized statues of Mahakala, Mahakali, and Thamchen Dorje Legpa.

Fire-Puja: An integral part of the fire-puja is the ceremonial pageant. During this the younger monks, dress up brightly, and carry a plate of mandala with tormas symbolizing the deities to the location of the fire-puja.

Devotional Music: There are holy songs which are sung in the monastery. These are Om Swasti or the ‘Pleasant Melody of the Right Turning Conch’, and Om Sva Sti Siddham or the ‘Music of Immortality’.

Procession: After the fire-puja, the sand mandalas are gathered up and taken in a colourful procession down through the village of Rumtek, to a stream at its entrance. After a ceremony propitiating the resident nagas, water spirits, this sand is poured into the water. There is an ensuing scramble amongst spectators to collect as much of this 'blessed water' for themselves. Everybody then returns to the monastery compound, where the outer and inner boundaries are delimited on the first day. This is done for offerings to the various deities, commending them for their vigilance, and requesting them to return to their various abodes. It is about noon when this is over. Subsequently everyone reassembles in the shrine hall to chant the Mar-me Mon-lam. This is an extremely moving and profound prayer in which each participant holds a long chain of scarves knotted together, which winds its way through the aisles, starting with the first resting on the throne of the Gyalwang Karmapa. This inter-connectedness is also reflected in the chanting. The Vajra Regent leading the prayer and the gathering repeats the mantra line by line after him. The drub-chen concludes with aspirational prayers for the well-being of the world and the dedication of merit for the sake of all beings. Tashi prayers are said for auspiciousness, welfare and happiness of all.