China Tibetannet The celebration of the Tibetan New Year is full of rituals. It can be said that without rituals there is no holidaymaking in Tibet.
The date of the Tibetan calendar New Year varies from year to year. Whichever date it happens to fall upon, the Tibetans always have to prepare for it at least 10 days prior to its coming.
Whitewashing the houses, cleaning the niches and silver and bronze wares as well as painting good omens on beams and pillars in the house are just the beginning of the New Year celebration.
The hostesses have to deep fry flour-made tributes in butter and then decorate heads of goats, fresh and dry fruits as well as pancakes and cookies in front of the niches.
On the New Year eve right before the sunset, all family members have to gather together to have a special porridge made of various dumplings.
The dumplings are stuffed with different contents standing for different meanings. Usually nine contents have to be stuffed in the dumplings to stand for kind-heartedness, laziness, good luck, and serenity.
On the first day of the New Year, the Tibetans would stay at home the entire day. They only point wooden niches to their neighbors to wish them good luck in the coming year.
On the second day of the New Year, the Tibetans would go all out to visit their close relatives while on the third day they would put up colored pennants with Buddhism scriptures on tree branches and then put up the tree branches on the roofs of their houses.
Some would even go a long way to put up tree branches with colored pennants with Buddhism scriptures up the mountains to beg for good luck and fortune.
From the fourth day onward, the Tibetans would celebrate the New Year holiday with a drinking spree whenever and wherever they go.
Friends and even strangers are welcome to join them in their courtyards and homes to drink, sing and dance.
The New Year celebration would not end until 10 full days into the year though some would still continue drinking and feasting for five more days.
Anyway, the Tibetans do deserve such a holiday to enjoy and relax themselves after a full year