Wangkor Festival
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Wangkor Festival

Update: Feb. 22nd, 2012

Wangkor Festival

In countryside of Tibet, except Tibetan New Year, Wangkor Festival is the liveliest festival.

Wangkor Festival is popular in agriculture area. It is a festival to celebrate harvest by Tibetans. :Wang" means "Fields"; "kor" means "turning circles"; "Wangkor" means walking around the fields from its apparent meaning.

There is no fixed date to hold Wangkor Festival. Commonly, it was held before grains becoming mature. It ancient Tibet, established date by usage is in "Niaowang" – before wild geese flying to southern. After 1951, based on agriculture activities, the time to celebrate festival is different: Lhasa begins in early of August, lasting three to five days; Jiangzi and Shigatse are in middle of July.

During the festival, people in agriculture area will dress festival clothes, with sutra, Tangka and other religious things. The elder and children sitting on four wheels carriage; boys and girls walking along fields, take with barley wine, butter tea or vegetable box, singing and dancing. After cruise, they will hold singing competition, horse racing, shooting, wrestling and other activities.

History of Wangkor History

Wangkor Festival has experienced over 1500 years. It was recorded that as early as end of 5th century, there began to build channel and use wooden plow to plough land in Yarlung Region. In order to get harvest, the Tibetan King asked the leader of Bon Religion to tell them the religious doctrine. The leader asked farmers to cruise around fields, beg for God blessing. That's the origin of "Wangkor".

The "Wangkor" activities during Bon Religion regime are mainly in village: all the villagers go out cruise around fields. People who held incense and banner lead the way, then the necromancer of Bon Religion, holding "dada"( a stick reeled by Hada) and right leg of sheep leaded the procession, the villagers with barley tassels following them, which means pray for harvest. After the cruise, stick the grain tassels in barn or sacrifice on shrine, to beg for harvest in this year. Then, they will hold recreational activities: wrestle, sword fighting, playing spear and so on. Later, which sect rule Tibet, "Wangkor" activities will full of the sect's color. For example, when Buddhism rules Tibet, before the cruise procession, there are persons to hold Buddha statue and chant sutra. People will place their good wishes on "Buddha", "Bodhisattva".

In present Wangkor Festival, people will pitch up colorful banners holding barley tassels. The farmers with new clothes will lift the "Harvest Tower" which is made by barley tassels, playing gongs, beating drum and singing, walking around fields. During the festival, there is not only horse racing, shooting, opera playing, dancing; but also rich outdoor feast.

Celebration Ways of Wangkor Festival

The first day of Wangkor will hold activities to entertain God. The head of the village will invite witch and sorcerer come to the shrine and presenting Hada and barley wine to them, please them to worship. After worshipping, sorcerer will lead all villagers walk around the village for three times, then, back to the festival place. There is water to cook tea, trees to shade sun, grassland to dance on it, prairie for horse racing at the festival place.

In the second day of the festival, all the people will come to cruise fields. After cruising, people will come into forest, make kitchen stove by three stones to cook food.

During festival, in some districts, will hold donkey racing, yak racing which are pure recreational activities. Spectators just watch donkeys and yaks running and jumping; don't care who win or lost.

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