Splendid Tibetan Festivals
Tibet Local Time：12:47:11 GMT+8
Lhasa Weather
Office Hour: 09:00am - 06:00pm, (GMT+8)
Call our professional Tibet tour advisors
+86-23-86915020
Office Hour: 09:00am - 06:00pm, (GMT+8)
Call our professional Tibet tour advisors
+86-23-86915020
Tibet is an autonomous region with many festivals. From the beginning to the end of a year, there are more than thirty festivals. Festival is a good time for friends to gather together, communication, dancing and enjoying life, showing the talent of art and performance. Traditional festivals have lasted a long time and most of them are related with religion. As time went by, folk custom and entertain elements in these festivals become more obvious.
The first day of January in Tibetan calendar is the most important festival in Tibetan. In the early of December, people will prepare things for the festival. Among the things, the most important are "Chima" which is rectangle with colorful designs on it and some oblations. "Chima" is full of tsampa which is mixed by butter, fried kernel, Solanum muricatum and other foods; with barley tassels, cockscomb flower and colorful flower board which is made of butter on the top. When the sun rise in the New Year's Day, people who dress festival clothes will visit each other with "Chima" and barley wine in the hand, say "tashi delek" (means everything goes well). In the following several days, they will sing or dance to celebrate; or visit relations and friends, drink together; or worship Buddha in the nearby monastery. All the people will enjoy the festival atmosphere.
In the fifteenth day of January of every year is the Butter Lantern Festival. The Lama in monasteries and folk artists will make various butter flowers with colorful butter, hang them on the flower shelf before Jokhang Temple. When the sun fall down, butter lanterns are lighten up which looks like many twinkling stars. There are flowers, immortals, persons and vivid animals which are made up of butter.
Its popular name is Free Life Festival. It is in April in Tibetan calendar, during the time, monks and laity will not have meat or kill life, instead concentrating on worshipping Buddha. In legends, April 15th is the day of Sakyamuni born, became Buddha and died. The day in every year, people will dress ceremonious clothes, sing and dance, have lunch together in Lingka. On the day of the festival, people will walk along the permanent ring form way in clockwise to pray. The ring form way is divided onto three levels: the inner ring is "nangguo" which located in Jokhang Temple; the middle ring is "paguo" which around the Barkhor Street outside Jokhang Temple, while the outside ring is "linguo" which is around Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and the old city of Lhasa. Tibetans and Buddhism believers walk with a prayer wheel in the hand, say the six words mantra. The scene looks very grand.
In April 18th of Tibetan calendar, the herdsman in Gyangze district will gather together in Gyangze city. It is important festival for them to hold horse racing competition, dancing, entertain and exchange goods and materials.
June 4th is an important religious festival in front Tibet district. People will dress new clothes and ornaments and take some foods to the nearby mountain monastery to worship, pray Buddha and chant sutra to pray for the blessing of Buddha. Then, they will drink wine, sing and dance on the outdoor grass land.
Base on tradition, in the first day of June, after hard practice, the monks' family members will prepare chess and dancing to welcome them. Shoton means "yoghurt feast". In 17th century, people will show Tibetan opera in Shoton festival. The Tibetan Opera artists of every district and every school will come to Lhasa to show and compete which will last for several days. The Drepung will hold annual Buddha exhibition ceremony.
August 10th in lunar calendar is the most important festival in west of Tibet district. It is the golden time in prairie. Thousands herdsman will ride horse and with various things come to Nagqu, and form a temporary tent city on the south of Nagqu county. In the festival, people will hold exciting horse racing and shooting competition and various horse-back actions shows.
July in Tibetan calendar (when the Venus appears), people think water in this season is especially pure and can wash the dirt, cure diseases, helpful for healthy. They will come to rivers to have bath, wash clothes and play.
It is the festival in which Tibetans are yearning for harvest. It is held before autumn harvest, last one to three days. At that time, people will dress colorful new clothes, hold colorful flags, take barley which is wrapped with white Hada and the harvest tower which is made up of barley tassels walk around fields, sing the songs to pray harvest. Then, they will hold horse racing competition. After the festival end, they will reap the fall harvest.
It is also named "Tien Miu Festival". In October 15th of every year, every district will hold some religious activities. Females think this festival is their festival, so they are active and happy in the festival.
According to legends, October 25th in Tibetan calendar is the day of Tsongkapa who is the creator of Gulug School became Buddha. Every family will lighten up butter lantern on the top of the house and chant sutra to praise and commemorate Tsongkapa.
It is in December 29th in Tibetan Festival. In the day, the monastery in every district will hold a grand sacred activity. Every family will clean up the dust and decorate the house. People think they must drive the evil and clean up the dirty things before new year to pray for seasonable weather for crop raising, healthy and harvest.
