Legend of Bathing Festival

Brief Introduction of Bathing Festival

In Tibetan legend, Bathing Festival can make people get rid of illness. The nights in end of summer and early of autumn, when there appear a very bright star on the southeast sky of Lhasa which represents the Bathing Festival of every year is coming. It is said that this star only appears for seven nights. It is related with the origin of Bathing Festival.

Legend of Bathing Festival

Long time ago, there is a famous doctor lived in the wide pasture whose name is Yutuo.Yundan Kampot. His medical skill is very high, and he can treat every kind of queer diseases. So, Songtsen Gampo invited him to be private doctor, treating diseases for Tibetan king and princesses. But, he can't forget the people on the pasture after he came into palace. So he often came to treat diseases for pasture people when he went out to pick up medicine. In a year, the terrible epidemic widely spread in pasture, and many herdsmen was affected. At this time, Yutuo walk on the pasture to treat diseases for every herdsman. Who eat the medicine he picked up on snowy mountains and forest got well. Many people came back to health. The name of doctor Yutuo became very famous on the pasture and people named him as Medicine King.

Unfortunately, after doctor Yutuo died, there appeared another epidemic on the pasture again and even worse. Many people died for this epidemic. The dying people bent on ground to beg for blessing. One day, a sick woman made a dream. In this dream, doctor Yutuo told her:" at tomorrow night, when there appears a bright star on southeast sky, you can have bath in Quji River, then, you will come back to well." Really, the woman recovered after her had bath in the river.

After this thing spreading out, all the patients came to have bath in the river. All the patients recovered after they had bath.

People said that this special star is doctor Yutuo. Doctor Yutuo found people was attacked by epidemic, but he can't come back to treat them, so he change himself into a star and use the star light to make the river water into medicine. People have bath in the river can cure their diseases. Because god only gives Yutuo seven days, so this star only appear seven days.

Thence, Tibetans decided these seven days as Bathing Festival. The herdsmen in every district will come to nearby river to have bath in this time. It is said that people will be healthy, happy and without disease after they having bath.