Tibet Festival Calendar – Illumination Festival

Illumination Festival is a religious festival especially celebrated for Master Tsongkhapa – a great reformer of Tibetan Buddhism and the founder of Gelug Sect. It is one of the most solemn festivals on Tibet festival calendar for the followers of Gelug Sect. On October 25th according to the Tibetan calendar, all the monasteries and Tibetan families would light up the butter lanterns all night through.

Tibet Festival Calendar – Brief Introduction of Illumination Festival

The Buddhists and followers of Tibetan Buddhism would start to manufacture the butter lanterns several days before the Illumination Festival. Each lama in the monasteries would hand-made more than 30 butter lanterns before the festival. On the night of Illumination Festival, all the butter lanterns would be lighted up. The local Tibetans hold that the odd number is much more auspicious than the even number, so the number of the butter lanterns lighted up on the Illumination Festival is an odd number.

The Tibetans in the villages would prepare certain branches of the cypress trees for the celebration ceremony of the Illumination Festival on the Tibet festival calendar. The villagers would collect together and hold a solemn ceremony. The prayer flags would also be an important part in the celebration of the festival. Later, the horsemen would have a horsemanship performance for the villagers and the Buddhists in the monasteries. The singers would also sing some happy songs for the villagers. Besides, some folk traditions and performances would also be included in the celebration of the Illumination Festival in some regions.

Tibet Festival Calendar – Traditions of Illumination Festival

To celebrate one of the most solemn religious festivals on the Tibet festival calendar, local Tibetans would collect at Jokhang Temple on the night of the Illumination Festival. Jokhang Temple is always crowded by the Buddhists and followers of Tibetan Buddhism on that night. The religious music played by various religious musical instruments play important role in the celebration. The Buddhism pagodas, palaces, and chapels in the monastery would be lighted brightly by the butter lanterns.

The Buddhists and pilgrimages would also chant the Buddhism scripture loudly in unison in honor of Tsongkhapa. The scene is very solemn and respectful – the typical characters of all the religious festivals on Tibet festival calendar. They would also make circumambulation in Jokhang Temple. Besides, the pilgrims would also keep rotating the prayer wheel in their hand and keep murmuring the Buddhism scriptures while circumambulating.