How to Travel to Tibet during Tibetan New Year Festival
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Office Hour: 09:00am - 06:00pm, (GMT+8)
Call our professional Tibet tour advisors
+86-23-86915020
Tibetan New Year Festival starts from the first day of January and ends in the fifteenth day, lasting fifteen days. In general, local Tibetans will prepare stuffs for the New Year since last December such as Tibetan dishes, desert, cakes, etc, which the offerings are the most important. On the eve of Tibetan New Year, people will gather together and out their food in the front of the Buddha to wish a good harvest next year. Besides, before the first day of Tibetan New Year, the house will be swept and clean totally to welcome a new life.
The most important two things on the eve of Tibetan New Year are eating Gutu - a kind of Tibetan food, and showing the ceremony of driving-off devil.
It is very interesting to eat something different in Gutu which was added by housewives. For example, if you eat a little stone in Gutu, it means you have a strong sprit; if you eat some wool, it means you are kind-hearted, etc.
Later people will show the ceremony of driving-off devil. Firstly, use some rest of the Gutu and wipe our body a little. Then throw it into the damaged bowl. In the evening, parents will lead young people to light the wheat straw pole shouting, 'come out, devils come out' and then throw it at the three-way intersection. People are not allowed to play outside at night on this day.
On this day, families will get together to have a big dinner. They pray to the Buddha and wish a good life this year. They will stay in the house all day.
It is not like the first day staying inside all day, on this day people will visit relatives outside. Some young people will get together to sing or dance.
Local Tibetans will wish a good luck to each other again. The most important thing on this day is praying and worshiping to Buddha in the monastery. Many Tibetans will also change a new prayer flags instead of old one on the balcony.
