Events and Festivals in Tibet

The landscape, people and colorful religions of Tibet have always attracted people from all over the world. They have unique culture, languages and rich cultural history date back to 1300 years.

Hence Tibet has numerous festivals which give you immense pleasure to look upon and take part with their festivals. The people of Tibet though live in difficult geographical condition, they always enjoy different festivals happily which are worth seeing.

Though it is impossible to list all the festivals celebrated in Tibet, Tibetan New year is greatest events in Tibet. They celebrate New Year with colorful affair and religious rituals are involved in it. Other festivals celebrated by them includes, Horse race, Gyantse, Shoton, Dawa, Archery event and Harvest festival etc.

Tibet truly offers lot to the visitors to make their holiday mesmerizing for their lifetime. Some of the famous festival of Tibet is mention below:

Tibetan New Year
It is the greatest festival celebrated by Tibetan, they celebrate their new year by meeting friends, families , eating different type of foods and drinking chhang.They also pay special homage to the sacred statue of Sakya muni and burnt incense in every home. They are dressed up with their cultural dress and make circle around monasteries and temples.

Great prayer (Mon Lam Chenmo)
The event in Tibet was established in 1409 by Tsong Khapa, the founder of the Geluk tradition. As the greatest religious festival in Tibet, thousands of monks (of the three main monasteries of Drepung, Sera and Ganden) gathered for chanting prayers and performing religious rituals at the Jokhana Temple in Lhasa.

Saga Dawa:
Dawa Saga means ‘fourth month’, and it is on the 15th day of this month on the Tibetan calendar that Tibetan and Nepalese Buddhists celebrate both his birth and the day when he died and attained Nirvana.

Tashilunpo Thangka
Thousands of pilgrims gathered together to feel the foreheads of sacred Thanka and get blessed which are displayed in Tashilunpo monastery in Shigatse.

Universal incense offering (Dzam Ling Chipsang)
The first Buddhist monastery in Tibet, in remembrance of Guru Rimpoche Tibetan burn incense offering to deities all over Tibet.

Yogurt festival (Shorton):
During these festival thousands of people gathered and touch the huge Gegu (embroidered thanka) and got blessed.

Yogurt festival Opera at Norbulingka:
The picnic is held at Norbulinka for a week during summer and opera is shown for the first 3 days.

Labrang monastic opera (Cham):
Thousands of Tibetan people gather on this special ceremony where Monk at Labrang monastery performs ritual dances by wearing Buddhist marks.

Labrang monastic opera (summer)
The story of Milarepa is told where Monks at Labrang monastery perform the ritual dances by wearing Buddhist marks.

Labrang monastic opera (winter):
Kalarewa dance is performing b y Monks at Labrang monastery where thousand of Tibetan from all over gathered to celebrate the ceremony.

Horse racing festival at Labrang Sangke grassland:
The special ceremony of horse race, yak race and wrestling are performed by the nomads of Sangke.

Kangding Horse Racing Festival:
Horse race, Yak race and wrestling are performed by nomads of Kangding of Kham region on this festival.

Lithang horse racing festival:
The festival is celebrated in Tibetan area of Kham in west-Sichuan