How to Travel to Tibet during Tibetan Traditional Festivals
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How to Travel to Tibet during Tibetan Traditional Festivals

Update: Dec. 4th, 2012

Tibetan Festival

How to Travel to Tibet during Tibetan Traditional Festivals

Tens of different Tibetan festivals will be held in Tibet region in a year. Tibetan traditional festivals usually originate from religious factors, but now the performance often shows Tibetan singing, dancing, gathering, market transactions, social intercourse, etc, after time passes, which the unique minority feature attracts lots of tourists to visit.

Tibetan New Year

January 1st of Tibetan calendar is the date to celebrate Tibetan New Year. The stuffs of new year are usually prepared well in last December, which the offerings are the most important. On the first day of Tibetan New Year, people will greeting and make a best wish to each other dressing colorful clothes. Some people will get together to have a big dinner. Some people will visit worship and pray the good life to the monastery on this day.

Butter Sculpture Festival

Butter Sculpture Festival is usually held on January 15th every year in honor of Sakyamuni. Tibetans starts to sacrifice some butter to the monastery on this day which used to light the butter lanterns or for eating. The butter sculpture would be the main character during the celebration of Butter Sculpture Festival. Various figures made by colorful butter would be displayed on the festival.

Saga Dawa Festival

Saga Dawa Festival would be celebrated on April 15th according to Tibetan calendar, as the date is said to the birthday of Sakyamuni. Each Tibetan is told to do good things on this day. For example, beggars will be helped by every passerby on this day.

Generally, most of the Tibetans would abstain from eating meat on April 8th and 15th according to Tibetan calendar.

Gyantse Dama Festival

It is a festival used to be held on April 18th in Gyantse by herdsmen and celebrated by performance such as horse racing, athletics, singing and dancing, interflow of commodities, etc.

Worshiping Festival

It is said Sakyamuni firstly dictated his Buddhism scripture on June 4th, which has been celebrated by generations as worshiping Festival. On this day, local Tibetans would worship the Buddha in the monasteries, chanting the Buddhism scriptures and light up the lanterns.

Lhasa Shoton Festival

To experience the special festival atmosphere and show the respect to the Buddha, numerous tourists and followers of Tibetan Buddhism would gather in Lhasa at the end of June according to Tibetan calendar. Actually, Lhasa Shoton Festival will be held on July 1st of Tibetan calendar. On this day, lots of performance will be showed around Norbu Lingka,besides, the Buddhism exhibition will also be held in Drepung Monastery once a year.

Qangtang Horse Racing Festival

Horse Racing festival is almost regarded as the splendid festival of northern Tibet. It is held on August 10th. Horse racing as well as other athletics will be performed.

Bathing Festival

It is held in July of Tibetan calendar, numerous of local Tibetans will have a bath or play by river side on this day.

Wangkor Festival

It is often held before the autumn harvest every year and it lasts 1-3 days. People will celebrate together to wish good gains of this year.

Illumination Festival

On October 25th of Tibetan calendar, all the monasteries and Tibetan families would light up the butter lanterns all night through to celebrated for Master Tsongkhapa – a great reformer of Tibetan Buddhism and the founder of Gelug Sect.

Driving-off Devil Festival

Driving-off Devils Festival would be celebrated on December 29th of Tibetan calendar before Tibetan New Year due to wish a good luck next year.

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