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The main food in Tibet in winter is meat. Famous local snacks include
Shouzhua Yangrou (mutton eaten with the hands), roasted sheep intestines and
dried meat.
Festivals falling in winter time
Winter
is a festive season in Tibet. For Tibet winter travelers, festival celebrations
are another attraction. So here is a list of Tibetan festivals that fall in
winter.
Tibetan New Year celebrations. [Photo by
baidu.com] | *Gongbu Festival, Nyingchi
Falling
on October 1 according to the Tibetan calendar (in November or December
according to the Gregorian calendar), this festival is celebrated to commemorate
soldiers dying in wars protecting Tibetans from invaders in the old days.
Activities include dancing, horseracing and fair markets.
*Xiannv
Festival (fairy festival)
Also called the Tianmu Festival (heaven mother
festival), the Xiannv Festival falls on October 15 according to the Tibetan
calendar and is considered the festival for Tibetan women. Religious
celebrations are held throughout Tibet.
*Randeng Festival (lamp lighting
festival)
Falling on October 25 according to the Tibetan calendar, the
Randeng Festival is celebrated to commemorate a great Tibetan reformer,
Zongkaba. Celebration activities include lighting ghee lights and singing
religious songs.
*Qugui Festival (ghost driving festival)
Falling on
December 29 according to the Tibetan calendar, the Qugui Festival is celebrated
to welcome the New Year. Grand Tiaoshen activities such as praying for good
fortune the next year and household cleanings are held.
*Zanglinian
(Tibetan new year)
Falling on January 1 according to the Tibetan calendar,
Zanglinian is the most important festival in Tibet. People start preparing for
Zanglinian at the beginning of December according to the Tibetan calendar.
People prepare tsamba, fried kernels and Renshenguo (a kind of tonic fruit in
Tibet). On New Year's Eve, people present the prepared food to images of Buddha.
On the first day of the New Year, the first thing to do is to take a barrel of
water home from the river, the first barrel of water in the new year is lucky
water. On the second day, relatives and friends begin to visit each other.
*Suyou Huadenghui (ghee lamp festival)
Falling on January 15
according to the Tibetan calendar, Suyou Huadenghui is celebrated by monastery
worship in the daytime and the Barkhor Street lamp festival at night. There will
be shelves of lamps representing various colorful images such as gods, birds,
flowers and trees. Tourists can also enjoy a puppet show.
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