Tibetan Culture

Tibetan Culture - Presenting Hada

Presenting Hada is the most common etiquette of Tibetan. People will present Hada in wedding ceremony, funeral, festivals, visiting elders, worshipping Buddha, welcoming customers and farewell. Hada is a kind of silk fabric product, in different length. Presenting Hada means to express the purity, loyalty and sincerity to others. Since ancient times, Tibetans think white is the symbol of purity and auspicious, so Hada is white. The action of presenting Hada is differs for people. In general, it needs two hands to hold the Hada, and rise to the same height with shoulder, then stretches forward and bent, then give it to other. At that time, Hada is in the same height with the head, this shows the respect and blessings to others. The people who get the Hada should receive the Hada with two hands in respectful action. For elders, the Hada should over the head and with body slightly forward, put the Hada before his site or foot; for peers or underling, the Hada can be tied on his neck.

Tibetan Culture – Prostrating in Prayer

It is a popular way to worship Buddha in Tibetan Buddhism popular areas. Believers base on the procedures to prostrate themselves during walking: first, straightly stand and say some words (almost is the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM), when reciting these words, the two hands in Zens gesture over the head, walk a step; then two hands in Zens gesture before the face and walk a step; two hands in Zens gesture and move before breast, when walk the third step, move hands to parallel the ground and touch ground with palm toward ground, knee first get ground, then the whole body prostrate, last with forehead slightly knock ground. Then stand up and repeat it.

During the process, hands and mouth are used together. There is another prostrating in prayer at the same place.

Tibetan Culture – Honorific and Appellation

Tibetans pay more attention to honorific, especially people in Lhasa. In Lhasa, even the whole Tibetan, a sentence can be said in three styles: usual style, honorific style and the most honorific style. It is suitable to noun, verb and adjective. People in same status and people of lower status to higher status use honorific style. If someone don't use honorific can be think without manner, and misuse honorific will make joke. Tibetans are very emphasis appellation. If you don't appropriate use appellation will be regarded as not polite. You can show respect by adding a "la" following the name.

Tibetan Culture – Proposing Toast and Tea

When you visit a Tibetan family, the host will propose wine, commonly it is barley wine. When the wine propose to the customer, customer should first sip three times, each time the host will add the wine full, and the last time drink up the whole cup. Drinking tea is ordinary etiquette. When customer come into room and sit down, the hostess or children will present buttered tea, but customers should not drink until the host present it to you. That's polite.

Tibetan Culture – Religious Etiquettes

Monk will make deep bow to his teacher. The cushion people sit will differ for the status; some are high while some are low. In religious festivals, Dalai and Panchen will use different ways to touch different people's head; for great governor, they will use two hands to touch the head, for middle class governor, they will use one hand; while for common people, they just use a silk tassel brush over the head to show blessing.