Festivals and Celebrations

Buttered Sculpture Festival

This festival is held on the 15th day of the first month of the Tibet year.

During the festival, lamas from various monasteries and folk artists make colorful buttered sculptures in the shapes of flowers, immortals, figures, birds and animals.

They hang these sculptures onto the flower frames in the Jokhang Monastery. In the evening, they ignite these butter oil lamps. During the festival, there are puppet performances.

Tibetan New Year

The First Day of the Tibetan year always falls in February or March and is the

 most important festival of the Tibetan people. In early 12th month of the Tibetan year, the Tibetan people begin o buy goods and materials for the celebration of the New Year Day.

Of them i he rectangular Droso-chema with colorful patterns and offerings are the most important. The Droso-chema is stuffed with buttered highland barley, fried wheat grains and sapodilla. On its cover are highland barley ears, cockscomb flowers and buttered flowers.

In early morning of the first day of the Tibetan year the people in their rich dresses, with Droso-chema in their hands, visit their relatives and friends and exchange greetings. In the following few days, they sing and dance, drink wines together with their relatives and friends or go to the nearby monastery to pay their respects to the Buddha.

Shoton Festival in Lhasa                                                                  

The first day of the seventh month of the Tibetan year is the Shoton Festival, or the Yogurt Banquet Festival, which falls in August. When the lamas came back from their cultivation in mountains, they were welcomed by local people and their relatives with yogurt and had an outdoor banquet.

Since the 17th century, opera performances have been given during the festival. Tibetan artists from different schools from various parts gather in Norbu Lingka, Lhasa , for opera performances and competitions for several days. At the same time, a ceremony for sunning Buddha will be held at the Drepung Monastery.

Saga Dawa Festival

Also known as the Festival for Releasing Living Things, during this festival, Tibetan people do not eat meat and kill any living things in the fourth month of the Tibetan year in order to concentrate their efforts on worshipping. A legend says on the 15th day of the fourth month of the Tibetan year Sakyamuni was born, became a Buddha and died.

On this day each year, the people will dress in their splendid attire and sing and dance and have a picnic or gathering in Lingka.

Wangkor Festival

Held before they gather in their crops, for this festival the people express their wish for a good harvest. The festival lasts for one to three days. In splendid attire and having colorful flags in their hands, the people tie highland barley and wheatears into a bumper-harvest pagoda with khatag scarves.

Then they walk around their fields while beating drums and gongs and singing songs before a horse racing. After the festival they begin to harvest their crops.

Worshipping Festival                                                
On the fourth day of the sixth month of the Tibetan year, it is the festival of the people in the U areas. During this festival, the people in their festival attire and with their food go to famous monasteries nearby to pay their respects to Buddha and chant scriptures. After that they have a happy outing and do not go home before the sunset.

Sorcerer's Dance Festival

On the 29th day of the 12th month of the Tibetan year, the monasteries in various places will hold a grand ceremony to drive off devils for the coming new year.                

All the families will clean their houses and put on new decorations. People believe before the coming of the next year, all devils and dirt things should be cleared away in order to have a good weather for the crops, a happy life and good harvest in the next year.

Fairy Maiden Festival

Also known as the Mother of Heaven Festival, this festival falls on the 15th day of the 10th month of the Tibetan year. Women believe this festival is their own festival and are active in all kinds of activities.

Dama Festival in Gyangze                                           

On the 18th day of the fourth month of the Tibetan year or in May or June, the farmers and herdsmen in Gyangze (or those from Yadong, Shigatse and businessmen even from Lhasa ) gather in Gyangze for horse racing, archery competitions, singing and dancing, amusements and exchanging goods and materials. (This festival was originated in 1408)

Kyagqen Horse Racing Festival in Qangtang

On August 10, this festival is the most magnificent in north Tibet. In the golden season of grassland, tens of thousands of herdsmen from various parts of Tibet come to Nagqu on their horses with various kinds of goods and materials.

They put up tents in the southern part of Nagqu Town. During the festival, there are exciting horse racing and archery contests and horsemanship performances.

Goinbo Festival in Nyingchi

This festival falls on the first day of the 10th month of the Tibetan year or in November or December. A legend says in the old times the king of Goinbo led his forces to resist invaders. In memory of heroic soldiers, the people in Goinbo offered sacrifices and kept watch at night. 

Later the memorial activities developed into the Goinbo Festival. During the festival, there are dances, horse racing and archery competitions, exchanges of goods and materials, drinking wine and singing.

Gahden-Namgye (Illumination) Festival

This festival falls on the 25th day of the 10th month of the Tibetan year or in November or December. A legend says it was the day on which the great reformer and the founder of the Yellow Sect Zonggaba achieved his attainment in cultivation.

During this festival, the people ignite their numerous lamps on the roofs of their houses and chant scriptures to pay their respects to Zonggaba.

Bathing Festival

This one-week festival falls in the seventh month of the Tibetan year or in September when the Venus appears. During this week, the water is believed more pure and clearer for washing off the dirt on their body and curing any diseases they have in order to have a good health.

Tibetan Festival Timetable