Tibetannet

The Tibetan New Year, the most important festival for Tibetans, fell on Feb. 9 this year. In addition to Tibetans in the Tibet Autonomous Region, people in the Yunnan, Gansu, Qinghai and other Tibetan-inhabited areas have their own way of celebrating the Tibetan New Year or Losar.

At Moonlight Square next to the Dukezong Old Town in Shangri-La, Diqing in Yunnan Province, the Year of the Fire Monkey “joyous Shambhala” folk cultural activities were organized. Tibetans and other ethnic groups danced together as visitors exchange the words “Tashi Delek” and drank barley wine together.

Ice covers the roofs in Zhalimao village of Guide County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, as New Year celebrations take place from midnight until dawn. According to custom in the Amdo region, every household must place ice on the walls and roof the day before the Tibetan New Year, to pray for good harvest next year and everyone to be healthy and happy.

After midnight the villagers lights bonfires, blow auspicious conches and go door to door wishing everyone a happy new year. But  you cannot be empty-handed when visiting others. Tashi Gyatso said that life is getting better and better now, but the traditional “three old kinds of food” are still the most popular: steamed buns, a bottle of barley wine wrapped in Hada and a bag of candy wrapped with white paper on the outside and red on the inside. This is the most simple and sincere way the villagers exchange greetings between themselves.

Feb. 14 was the sixth day of the first month of the Tibetan Year of the Fire Monkey. The villages in Zhouqu County, Gannan, still preserve the ancient “ethnic Qiang and Tibetan tradition”, none of which are more significant than “sharing food among all villagers”, “circumambulating around holy mountains” and “Shaijing" or leaving the scriptures out in the sunlight”.

Villager Yang Jin said that “sharing food among all villagers” is a simple way that Tibetan people express their hospitality. Ten years ago, the best food served was only a pot of chicken, but now, every household has a variety of meat and vegetables and  some even have seafood.

Monk Dorje said that “Shaijing” means to bring the scriptures out into the sunlight to allow the Light of the Buddha to illuminate everything and bless Tibetan villages.

Everyone in the village, including men and women of all ages dressed up, attend the activities. They don’t eat or drink alcohol for breakfast on the day. At the temple door they burn mulberry leaves, place prayer flags and kowtow. Monks in the temple bring out Kangyur scriptures wrapped in yellow towels. After villagers bow and their heads touch the scriptures, they start walking around the mountain and village in a line. When they set off, everyone shouts aloud the six word mantra.