What are the Most Significant Tibetan Festivals?
- by Caroline
- Last Updated: 2023-03-26
It’s known that Tibetan people believe in Buddhism and Buddhism has integrated with their social life. Obviously, Tibetan festivals have religious characteristics as well. Most Tibetan festivals are celebrated for some significant events in Buddhism history or legends, such as the birth of Buddha, the enlightenment of some eminent monks, and so on. Even if there is no religious reason for some festivals, for example, the Tibetan Losar new year, Tibetan people will also hold a ceremony of gods worshiping. So joining in Tibetan festivals is a great way for foreign travelers to experience Tibetan culture more deeply. Besides Losar Festival, Butter Lantern Festival, Saga Dawa Festival, and Shoton Festival… are all significant feasts for Tibetans. Here we will introduce you to the most important Tibetan Festivals, therefore you can make your Tibet tour coincide with the festival of your choice.
Tibetan Festivals are based on the Tibetan calendar, which varies every year in the solar calendar. Their exact solar date is calculated each year a few months prior by astrologers from Mentse Khang, aka - Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute, which in charge of researching Tibetan medicine and calculating the Tibetan calendar.
Losar Festival – Tibetan New Year
Date: Feburary 21st. 2023
Butter Lantern Festival
Date: March 7th. 2023
The 15th day of the Tibetan calendar is the last climax of the Tibetan New Year, and it is also the last day of the Monlam Prayer Festival. During the daytime, people will go to temples to worship and turn the prayer wheels. At night, they will light butter lamps and visit various butter sculptures at Barkhor Street. >>See more about Butter Lantern Festival
Saga Dawa Festival
Date: June 4th. 2023
Gyantse Horse Racing Festival
Date: July 17th. 2023
This largely secular festival in Gyantse, featuring such fun and games as line dances, yak races, archery and equestrian events. A large 480-year old thangka is unfurled at sunrise. As nomads, Tibetan people have a very deep feeling for horses. Thus, they love to hold horse racing games to remind them never to forget their blood. >>See more about Gyantse Horse Racing Festival
Nagqu Horse Racing Festival
Date: August 1st. 2023
An important event in northern Tibet, thousands of nomads head to Nagqu for a week of traditional nomad sports. There are many horse racing festivals with different scales in Tibet every year. The big ones held in Gyantse, or Nagqu. Besides horse racing, you can also enjoy a big opening show and some other interesting activities, such as the Archery competition, Yak’s Burlesque, etc. >>See more about Naggqu Horse Racing Festival
Shoton Festival
Date: August 16th. 2023
Tibetan New Year in Kongbo Area
Date: N/A
This is a special feast held only in Nyingchi, Tibet, where was called Kongbo in the past. A long time ago, when a foreign army invaded Tibet, a tribe was unable to resist and had to ask for help from the Kongbo Kingdom. The King of Kongbo formed an army to support them. But that was already in September and the soldiers were afraid of missing the Losar Festival with families, which was supposed to be held in the February of the next year. To comfort the soldiers, the King advanced the Losar Tibetan New Year to October 1 of the Tibetan calendar. Later, the custom of the Kongbo New Year Festival came into being and this tradition lasted until today. The main activities of the festival are to invite dogs to choose food among Cuo(foretelling the harvest of the future year ahead), eat "Jieda", carry water, celebrate to honor the goddess of the harvest, and so on.
Buddha's Descent Day(Lhabab Duchen)
Date: November 4th. 2023
Palden Lhamo Festival
Date: November 19th. 2023
This may be the most interesting festival for females and children in Tibet. You can also call it the “Fairy Festival” or “Tianmu Festival”, which is celebrated on the 15th. October of the Tibetan calendar. In the morning, all the females in Lhasa will dress up and burn some branches and leaves at Barkhor Street, which is the oldest but busiest market in Tibet. After that, they will head to Jokhang Temple for pilgrimage and make a wish. It’s said that today’s wish will come true definitely. And all the children and females can ask for money from males as gifts on that day. Those men who give out gifts will get blessed by Buddha in the coming year. So, if you happen to be in Tibet on that day, please give some small change to the females or children who ask for money from you. This means you respect them and you will have good luck after doing that.
Tsongkhapa Butter Lamp Festival (Galdan namchot /Ganden Nga-Choe)
Date: December 7th. 2023
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