Festivals of Tibet

Lunar calendar of twelve months is what Tibetan year is based on with New Year usually starting sometimes in February. Each month consists of thirty days, with the full moon on the 15th day and the new moon on the 30th day.
Most of the Tibetan monasteries will have tshok, “offering ceremonies,” for the Medicine Buddha, pame, and Sakyamuni, respectively, on the 25th day there is an offering on the Khandroma. The Nyingmapa sect celebrates special Guru Rhimpoche day on the 10th day of every month. The popular Tibetan festivals are as below:

Festivals in Tibet
Tibetan New Year
The Tibetan New Year is reglemented by the systematization of the Tibetan calendar in 1027. It follows the Chinese New Year and before that, the year started in Tibet with the blossoming of the peaches. Families unite greeting with the auspicious “tashi delek” on this day.

Great Prayer festival
It is the greatest religious festival in Tibet following the Tibetan New Year. The founder of the Gelukpa Sect, Tsongkapa, instituted it in 1409. Monks from the Three Great Monasteries of Tibet assemble to pray to Sakyamuni at Jokhang temple and hold philosophical debates among candidates for the Doctorate of Metaphysics. Tibet pilgrims come to pray from all over and offer donations to the monks. The festival lasts nearly two weeks.

Butter Lamp Festival
Butter Lamp festival is the last day of the Great Prayer Festival celebrates the victory of Sakyamuni over non-Buddhist opponents. The Lord of Neu Dzong in 1409 started the festival with the illumination of countless butter lamps.

Gyantse Horse Race and Archery
People from all over Tibet gather in Gyantse for horse racing, archery and barter trade every June. Nowadays, ball games, racing, folk songs and dances were added. This festival is an old event being started in 1408.

World Incense Day
Gods in heaven are said to descend to earth on this day. Huge amounts of incense is being burnt. Many people go for a picnic in the parks.

Six-Four Festival
It’s the day when Buddha gave his first sermon is celebrated with visits to holy mountains.

Shoton Festival
The “Opera Festival” is one of the greatest festivals in Tibet held in August or beginning of September. Celebrated for seven days, opera performances and contests are held. Norbulingka was the centre for this festival since the 7th century.

Bathing Week
All the people from Lhasa bath in the river when the sacred planet Venus appears for a week as it’s believed that the water becomes pure and can even cure disease.

Death of Tsongkapa
In memory of the great reformer of Tibetan Buddhism, his death on that day in 1419 is still remembered. People burn butter lamps on roofs and pray. Tibetan dumplins are served as supper in the evening.

Driving Off Evil Spirits
Religious dances to drive off evil spirits are help in monasteries all over Tibet at the end of the Tibetan year. Every household burns bundles of straw and throws rubbish on the streets. The Year-End-Dumpling is served for supper.