Tibetannet

The 5-year-old Yundan in a sheepfold of a herdsman household in Northern Tibet at the altitude of 4,700 meters, was chasing a small lamb that is going to take part in the "Nadalin" (meaning "sheep gelding") ritual. 

On the day of the Beginning of Summer (5th of May), it was still snowing on the shore of Lake Namtso in Northern Tibet. 

In the tent built from black yak hair that is over 10 meters away from the sheepfold, Yundan’s mother, Jiancai, is preparing trickled pastry to eat after the ritual finishes. Yundan’s father, Jueba is herding the sheep flock towards the sheepfold. 

On the outside of the sheepfold, the sheep-gelding master that Yundan’s family invited to come is sitting with his legs crossed, sharpening the scissors that are used for sheep-gelding, waiting for the ritual to start. 

The traditional ritual of "Nadalin" has been going about on the grassland on the shore of Lake Namtso for over one thousand years. Every year when green grass starts to appear on the grass land, the herdsmen in Northern Tibet will pick an auspicious day according to the Tibetan Calendar to do the testicular-removing operation for the 5-month old male sheep born in that year. Apart from a few male sheep that have strong physique and are in good condition are kept to become breeding sheep, the rest of the sheep will be gelded and later will become mutton sheep for sale or family use. 

Before the ritual, the neighbor, Gongqu, holding in his hands a wooden cup full of barley wheat and grabbing a handful of barley wheat praying for the "Nadalin" to be held smoothly; he let the barley wheat slip through his fingers onto a woolen pad prepared beforehand, making it into the "Gyung Drung" symbol. "Gyung Drung" means auspiciousness and vitality in the Bon religion and later on it evolved into the auspicious "Manji symbol" () in Tibetan Buddhism. 

On this day, the sheep-masters are composed of Jueba and other three herdsmen. They divide into two groups, each group includes two persons sitting in front of one another with their legs crossed on the two woolen pads placed at the threshold of the sheepfold, mutually tying woolen threads on one another’s forehead and wrists.  

In the afternoon at 4 o’clock, the "Nadalin"ritual officially began. Jueba said that generally the "Nadalin" ritual is held during the spring at the time when the temperature is lowest, and in this way it is possible to avoid the lamb injuries from getting infected and inflamed. "Today there will be snow, and so it is precisely a suitable time for the sheep gelding day". After more than 300 small lambs and mother sheep were put into the sheet pen, the female host Jiancai and the relative Qimei and the neighbor Gongqu as well as Yundan joined hands and one by one carried the crying lambs over to the sheep gelding masters.

The sheep gelding master Zhuoda was dragging the lamb by all four hooves, holding the upper half of the lamb, to recognize the sex, scissors are used to make a mark on ears of female lambs, whereas males are taken care of by Tuluo.

"I also learned from elders the technique of sheep gelding. This is all in order to better manage the herd of sheep as well as its size and quality, and also in order to make the quality of the sheep meat more fatty." Said Tuluo.

During the "Nadalin" ritual, just after passing through the "little operation" the sheep are returned onto the grassland, and are reunited with the group of female lambs waiting outside the sheep pen. After that, the sheep gelding masters are invited into a yurt to drink “Batu” (dough dumpling soup) in order to make blessing for good health amongst the lambs, and with this the "Nadalin" ritual is generally completed.

Yuan hugs his parents and presents his special lamb, and lets it play on the soon to be green grassland, just after one month, this grassland will be at its full, and it will be an exuberant sight. Here can be found one of the northern Tibet grassland’s most developed grazing lands.