On Chapel plaza. In 2010, the Lunar New Year, which is celebrated as the beginning of the calendar year in the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, Vietnamese, and Cambodian cultures, falls on February 14.

In observance, the Rothko Chapel has invited representatives of two Buddhist traditions, the Tibetan Bon and Nichiren Shu, to conduct a joint ritual celebration on the Chapel Plaza around the reflecting pool and Barnett Newman's monolithic sculpture, Broken Obelisk. The ritual will begin by symbolically bidding farewell to last year and conclude with a welcoming of the New Year, the Year of the Tiger.

Rev. Myoken Caine-Barrett of the Myoken Temple in Houston and Ven. Geshe Denma Gyaltsen and Alejandro Chaoul, Ph.D. from the Ligmincha Texas Institute will lead the ritual celebration. Rev. Caine-Barrett will lead participants inSetsubun, which marks the beginning of the new season and is celebrated with bean throwing. Traditionally, people throw roasted soy, shouting "oni wa so to!" (Get out demons!) and "fu ku wa uchi!" (Come in happiness!). Setsubun is associated with the prospect of the returning sun, renewing body and mind, and eliminating evil. Ven. Geshe Gyaltsen and Dr. Chaoul will lead a sang, or smoke ritual, to welcome the New Year (Losar). Traditionally, this uplifiting ritual concludes by throwing tsampa, or roasted barley flour, with the chant of "ki ki so so lha gyal ho!"(May the deities be victorious!)