Traditional Festivals in Shigatse

Traditional Festivals in Shigatse – Tibetan New Year

The Tibetan New Year is the most important and solemn traditional festival in Shigatse Prefecture. Generally, the celebration of the annual Tibetan New Year Festival would start from November 29th according to the Tibetan calendar and lasts for several days. Clean the house, worship the Buddha, drive the evil and visit the relatives are the main activities during the Tibetan New Year. In addition, there would also be some interesting traditional ceremonies and recreational activities. Tourists join the Tibet festival tours during the celebration of the Tibetan New Year will have the chance to enjoy the special Tibetan opera and watch some traditional sports competitions, such as the yak racing or the archery match.

Traditional Festivals in Shigatse – Gyantse Dama Festival

The celebration of the Gyantse Dama Festival is mainly composed of a series of traditional Tibetan sports, including the horse racing, yak racing, Tibetan archery, and push-and-pull. A series of modern sports are also taken into the celebration of this festival, such as the basketball. Generally, the Gyantse Dama Festival would be celebrated in Gyantse County area in August. In addition, a series of professional and amateurish art performances and material exchanging are also important parts of Gyangtse Dama Festival. Tourists making a Tibet tour during this festival could take part in the audiences to cheer for the Tibetan competitors.

Traditional Festivals in Shigatse – Buddha Exhibition Festival of Tashilhunpo Monastery

Tashilhunpo Monastery is the largest monastery in Shigatse Prefecture. It is the pilgrimage center for the followers of Tibetan Buddhism in Tsang Area. Buddha Exhibition Festival of Tashilhunpo Monastery would be celebrated around May 15th according to the Tibetan calendar. The giant tangkha of Amitabha Buddha, Skyamuni Buddha and Byams-pa Buddha would be exhibited on the Buddha Exhibition Deck with a height of 32 meters in Tashilhunpo Monastery. All the lamas and the pilgrims would present their hada to the Buddha to pray for health, peace and happiness.

Traditional Festivals in Shigatse – Religious Dancing Festival

There are two noted religious dancing festivals in Shigatse – the Tashilhunpo Monastery Religious Dancing Festival in summer and the Sakya Monastery Religious Dancing Festival in winter. It is said that the Sakya Monastery Religious Dancing Festival has a history of more than 500 years. It is celebrated to pray for good weather and good harvest in the coming year. With a history of more than 200 years, the Tashilhunpo Monastery Religious Dancing Festival was celebrated to drive off the evils and ominous matters.

The series of traditional festivals in Shigatse provide tourists the chance to experience the folk customs and explore the traditional culture. Except for the traditional festivals, some modern festivals also attract a lot of tourists, such as the Mt. Everest Cultural Tourism Festival. Mt. Everest Cultural Tourism Festival was firstly celebrated in 2001. Mostly, it would be celebrated in the second half of August. This festival was celebrated to present the rich natural tourism resources and cultural landscapes for tourists taking Shigatse into their Tibet tour schedule. This festival greatly promoted the tourism development of Mt. Everest tour and attracts a large number of tourists both at home and abroad.