TIBETAN FESTIVAL

You are advised to use `netscape'. The press setting in some `mosaic' is NOT right.

I: Introduction

There are many colourful Tibetan festivals. Some are traditional, as New Year's Day, Lingka festival, Bath day, Field day etc., some are religious, as the 'Great Prayer's Festival (smon lam)', Buddha's birthday (the 8th of the 4th month), Buddha's nirvana day (the 15th of the 4th month), the Buddha's return to the world of the gods (22nd of the 9th month), Tsongkha-pa's passage (the 25th of the 10th month), etc.. Even in the traditional festivals, religions play important roles.

II: New Year's Day

(1) Activities before the day

Starting on the 23rd day of the 12th month, people prepare for the most important festival of the year. Man will purchase dresses, cloth, sugar, barley beer, rice, flour, tea etc.. Woman will make `tsamba', butter, cakes, and will fry foods, wash head, plait braids.

On the 29th or 30th, herdsman will use flour to paint the `eight auspicious emblems' and use plasters to draw the reversed `swastika' for good luck. The monasteries will spread foods for the hungry ghosts and chase away demons.

On the new year's eve, the residence will be cleaned and milk curd will be mixed with barley flour to make curd-pastry. The whole family will gather together to enjoy the `rice soup with nine treasures'.

(2) New Year's Day

In the morning, everybody gets up early. The women rise first to fetch `star water' (river water before the disappearing of stars), and then wake up everybody. People will dress in their best, and take seats according to seniorities. The eldest will toss a little bit of `tsamba' to the sky to salute Buddha and bodhisattva. Then the eldest will bless the junior one with `Tashi Delek'(good luck and all wishes fulfilled), the younger ones usually offer presents and response with `I pray for a healthy and fortunate life for you. Hopefully, we will gather together next year to enjoy again.' After the ceremony, the family will enjoy butter tea, barley beer, and all kind foods. After the breakfast, the whole family will go to monastery to worship Buddha.

The main course of the day is to enjoy the family feelings.

(3) Activities after the day

Starting with the third day of the first month, people visit friends and relatives. Banquets will be arranged. People salute each other with `Happy New year', `Tashi Delek'. This is the festival time which lasts five days. There will be art performances as opera, `gouzhang' roundelay, singing contest, sport events as tug-of war, rope skipping, the broad jump, the high jump, horse race, archery, wrestle, Tibetan card game etc.

III: Smom-lam

The Great Prayer Festival (Smom-lam) is for the memory of Buddha. According to the legend, in the first month of the year, Buddha conquered or converted six holy men of false religions.

The dates of the Great Prayer Festival (Smom-lam) varies. For the three great Monasteries of Lhasa, it is from the 4th to the 25th day in the first month. For Taer (Ku-bum in Tibetan, i.e., ten thousands images of Buddha) Monastery, it is form the 8th to the 15th day of the first month. For Labrang Monastery, it is from the the 3rd to the 17th day of the first month.

This is the greatest religious activity for the whole year. The Monasteries will conduct scripture chanting, show the giant Buddha Thangkas, and perform mask Tibetan opera. The people will gather together to enjoy the shows, participate in the worshiping in the nearby Monasteries. Some will even prostrate step by step all the way to Lhasa.

IV: Butter lamp day

On the 15th day of the first month which is the high point of the Great Prayer Festival (Smom-lam), there is a fabulous `Butter lamp day".

This festival started by Tsong kha-pa in the first Great Prayer Festival (Smom-lam) in 1409. In his dream, all beautiful flowers and trees appeared in front of Buddha. He commissioned monks to make flowers and trees with coloured butter. This tradition has been maintained to this day. Large scale butter sculptures about stories of Buddha, Princess Wencheng, Han story of `Monkey' will be exhibited. Scaffoldings several stories high will be erected at many monasteries and thousands of lamps will be hung on them. The displays last all night until dawn. The preparation takes a good part of four months.

V: Lingka festival

The `Lingka Festival' started from the 15th day of the 5th month in Tibetan calendar would last three days to fifteen days. Most people enjoyed good weather and nice forests.

VI: Mountain worshiping and horse race

The mountain worshiping is a reminiscence of Bonism. Usually it will be held in the 5th or 6th month when the grass is long, horse is strong and the weather is nice. First, there is a ceremony of worshiping with Lamas chanting the scriptures, smokes produced by burning pine twigs, Tibetan joss-sticks or tsamba (cakes of barley flour). Then herdsmen will build new `mani piles', decorated with new flags. The flags, arrows, milk curd and butter will be offered to the mountain deity.

When the race comes around, the racing ground turns overnight into a campsite. Herdsmen attach great importance to the races, and they make preparations well in advance. Among other things, they stop riding their horses to give the animals a chance to rest up. On the coldest day, they bathe the race horses in icy cold water in the morning. Usually the horse is fed with goat milk, ideally with some crystal sugar added. The care a man gives his beloved steed exceeds that which he would give to a new-born baby.

Before the horse race begins, the horse entered are trimmed with fancy colours. The teenage jockeys also put on a festive look by donning gaudy silk gowns with matching trousers and accessories like those worn in Tibetan dramas. After circling round the incense burner in the centre of the race track, the horse gather at the starting line. There are short and long races. The long race covers a distance of three kilometers to ten kilometres.

The moment the colourful specks appear in the far distance, there a commotion begins in the eager crowds, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks, and a medley of cheers, whistling, catcalls and laughter floats in the air. The climax comes as the horses sprint for the finish line. The winner receive instant acclaim everywhere. The second place hardly counts.

In addition to long and short distance horse races, there are exhibitions and contests of horsemanship. On horseback riders pluck scarves from the ground and shoot at targets while at full gallop. Track events include races for children and adults, Field events include tug-of-war, rope skipping, the broad jump, high jump and weight-lifting. At some places, there are yak races.

VII: Bath day

This is a special Tibetan day. It is held from the 6th to the 12th day of the 7th month. The timing is perfect, the water is clear and warm in the river. Everybody, young or old, will jump to the river to wash oneself. People will group together according to sex.

VIII: Field day

After the bath day, the field is ready for reaping in the 8th month. Then there will be `wan-guo' (circling field) festival. All people will put on ancient warrior dresses, ride on horses with fancy colours to go through the fields. They will be led by people holding barley plants, flags, Buddha's images, and carrying scriptures. Parties are organized with drinking and archery to celebrate the crops. It is only after these rites that the people harvest.

This is a very ancient tradition of Tibet. When Bonism dominated years ago, Bonism priests would manage the procedures. After the rising of Tibetan Buddhism, the ceremony changed to the present form. The original intention was probably to train Tibetan farmers for military coordination.

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