Tibet Festival Calendar – Lingka Festival

Lingka Festival would be celebrated on May 15th according to Tibetan Calendar. Just as most of the festivals on Tibet festival calendar, Lingka Festival is also a festival which was originally related to the Buddhism character. It is said that Master Padmasambhava subdued the demons on Tibet Plateau in May of the year of monkey. After that, local Tibetans began to celebrate the Linka Festival in honor of Master Padmasambhava.

As we all known, the local Tibetans have deep love for nature. Almost all the Tibetans are good at singing and dancing. During the Linka Festival, they would bring their barley wine, butter oil tea and some other delicious food, as well as their tent to the lawn in the gardens. They would share their delicious food and happiness with their family members and friends while enjoying the performance of the folk artisans. The atmosphere during Lingka Festival is very relaxing and pleasant, just like a springtime excursion. Such kind of celebration would last for about one month.

Tibet Festival Calendar – Celebration of Linka Festival

Tibetans in Lhasa Area would like to spend their Linka Festival on the lawn in Norbu Lingka, or People's Park, or in the forest near Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery. Tibetans in Shigatse Prefecture would like to spend their Lingka Festival in the orchard of the New Palace of Panchan Lama. People in Tsedang would like to spend their Lingka Festival by Yajiang River or at the foot of the Gongburi Holy Mountain.

Lingka Festival is quite noted for its rich celebration activities. It is noted as one of the most relaxing festival on Tibet festival calendar. Worship and entertainment are the two main themes of Lingka Festival. The dressed-up Tibetans would rush to the suburbs to enjoy the festival with their friends and family members. Tourists travel to Tibet during the celebration of Lingka Festival would have the chance to witness various beautiful and exquisite tents for every family would pitch a tent in the garden.

The celebration of Lingka Festival integrates the traditional culture and modern entertainment harmoniously. Various traditional Tibetan snacks and drinks would be displayed in the tents. They would keep doing some recreational things all the day. Singing, dancing, playing Tibetan cards, shaking the elbows and sharing stories are the most common activities for local Tibetans spending the Lingka Festival. Besides, they would also hold some sports competitions, such as archery and some other traditional games. With the development of history, the televisions, video tape recorders, electronic games also start to be involved in the entertainment activities recent years.