Tibet Festival – Wangkor Festuval

Wangkor Festival is mainly celebrated in Lhasa, Shigatse Prefecture, Shannan Prefecture and some other regions in Tibet Autonomous Region. It is a Tibet festival which holds celebrations for the good harvest. Generally, the celebrations of Wangkor Festival would be held between July and August according to the Tibetan calendar. Tibetans could celebrate this festival according to the maturity of the crops in their field.

History of Wangkor Festival

Wangkor Festival has a history of more than 1500 years. It is recorded that the agriculture was well developed in Yarlong Area early in the 5th century. To bless for a good harvest, the Tibetan King asked religious doctrine from Bonism. The Tibetan farmers chant the scriptures while parading around the cropland since then.

Nyingma Sect of Tibetan Buddhism stepped into the palmy days in late 8th century. The celebration activities of Wangkor Festival had some characters of Nyingma Sect during that period. In the 14th century, the founder of Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism – Tsongkhapa came to Tibet and made Gelug Sect widely spread. The celebration ceremonies of Wangkor Festival were deeply influenced by Gelug Sect during that period. With the development of the history, the content and form of Wangkor Festival are changing.

Celebration of Wangkor Festival

Wangkor means "circle around the field" in Tibetan. The Tibetans would hold a parade around the cropland with an ear of wheat in hand on the first day of Wangkor Festival. The parade would be lead by an honor of guard made up of aged Tibetans and lamas. They hold the statues of the Buddha highly and chant the Buddhism scriptures to show their thanks to the Buddha for the good harvest.

Wangkor Festival is the most boisterous Tibet festival except the Tibetan New Year in the rural areas of Tibet. The local Tibetans would put on their new clothes and prepared some special food for the festival. Tibetan Opera also plays important role in the celebration of Wangkor Festival. People would collect together to enjoy the Tibetan Opera performance.Tibetans would also make a visit to the house of their relatives so as to share the happiness of the festival and continue the bond.