Tibetan New Year Tour

New Year Festival is the largest Tibetan festival and the top one of Tibetan Festivals, as well as the grandest Tibetan festival. During Tibetan New Year Festival, each family will gather together to hold various activities. The scene is very happy. Do you want to enjoy the happy festival atmosphere in your Tibet tour? Now, please go with Tibet Tour to enjoy the special Tibet New Year Festival.

Tibetan New Year Festival – Time of Tibetan New Year Festival

In ancient, there was no calendar. People thought that the New Year started when peach blossom came into bloom. Present Tibetan Calendar was created in 1027. Since then, the first day of Tibetan Calendar is regarded as Tibetan New Year. It is very interesting that the time of Tibetan New Year Festival in different prefectures of Tibet is different. People in Lhasa regard the January 1st in Tibetan Calendar as Tibetan New Year. People in districts on south side of Nianchu River regard December 1st in Tibetan Calendar as New Year. People in Qamdo Prefecture regard November 1st in Tibetan Calendar as New Year.

Tibetan New Year Tour – Activities

The preparation for Tibetan New Year Festival starts from the early of December. Tibetans will brew barley wine and make various desserts for New Year Festival. Furthermore, each family will place colored ears of wheat, seeding of barley and sheep head made up of ghee in hall. It is to celebrate the harvest in the year and wish harvest in coming year.

On the day before Tibetan New Year Festival, each family will throw away dirty water and things before sun setting. Tibetans think that it is protection of flourishing population and living creatures. In New Year Festival's Eve, family members will sit together to have union dinner.

Based on Tibetan traditional custom, the hostess in the family will get up first on the first day of New Year. They will go to get fresh water at river or lake. The family which gets fresh water first will be lucky and happy in the coming year. At the same time, it also indicates good weather in the coming year. Then, the hostess will wake up the family. All members in the family will wear festival clothes and sit down based on the status of generation. Before eating on the first day of New Year Festival, everyone should smear little tsamba flour on mouth. After that, the elderly in the family will hold a bucket named Qiema, with tsamba, ginseng, fried bean, fried wheat and other foods in it and barley tassels on it. Each one will grab a little tsamba and throw toward sky to sacrifice gods, and grad a little to eat in turn. The elderly in the family will say "Tashi Delek" (good luck and happiness) to every one. The younger generation should say "Tashi Delek Pengsongtso" (good luck and happiness, boundless beneficence) to the elderly. After the rite of New Year Festival, family members will sit together to drink barley wine, eat ginseng and other foods to celebrate New Year Festival.

During Tibetan New Year Festival, there are performances of Tibetan Opera in many districts. In addition, there are wrestle, throwing, tug-of-war, horse racing, shooting and other competitions. In Lhasa, Tibetans will stick new prayer flags on the roof in the morning to pray for harvest and good luck in coming year.