Driving off Evil Spirits Festival

Driving off Evil Spirits Festival – Time

December 29th in Tibetan calendar

Driving off Evil Spirits Festival – Popular area

Lhasa, Tibet

Driving off Evil Spirits Festival – Brief Introduction

Driving off Evil Spirits Festival is a Tibet festival, which is hold in December 29th in every year. In this day, the Potala Palace in Lhasa will hold a solemn religious dancing activity, and every monastery will hold similar activities. Tibetans think a new year is coming, they should drive off the evil spirits to ensure safe and auspice in the coming year. In this day, every monastery will hold solemn religious activities; every household will do thorough cleaning and decorated the house new. Tibetans think the new year is coming, all the evil spirits and dirty things must be clear out, so they can pray for seasonable weather, long life span and harvest year.

Driving off Evil Spirits Festival – Origin

December 29th in Tibetan calendar is the Driving off Evil Spirits Festival. Driving off evil sprits is "Guoduo" or "Guduo" in Tibetan language. So, Driving off Evil Spirits Festival also named "Guoduo" Festival. Tibetans think the new year is coming; they must drive off evil spirits to eliminate disasters, pray for every thing goes well in the new year.

Driving off Evil Spirits Festival – Celebration ways

In the day of Driving off Evil Spirits Festival, people will hold religious dancing ceremony in Potala Palace and Moru Lichang, and give food to people in Guru Square to drive the evil spirits. Every monastery will hold religious dancing activities. In early of the night, every household will hold firebrand and shout to drive evil spirits. People will throw the left dough porridge in front of the door to let the evil sprits in this year can leave quickly. At the same time, every household will do completely clean work, to clean up all the dirty things in the year.