Losar/Tibetan New Year

Tibetan New Year is the most significant festival in Tibet. Different areas have different way to celebrate this festival, and the one of Lhasa is the representative. To celebrate people will dress up and greet each other for a happy New Year with Qima and Barley wine. Meanwhile, they'll sing and dance together.

Chotrul Duechen/Butter Lamp Festival

It's the last high tide of the New Year and the celebration of Buddha's Miracle Day. Lamas and artisans make butter sculptures of figures, flowers, birds and animals and display them on the shelves at Jokhang Monastery, which are lit by lanterns as night falls.

Saga Dawa

It's an influential religious festival in Tibet. Here Saga Dawa stands for April in Tibetan calendar. People celebrate Buddha Shakyamuni's birth, enlightenment and Parinirvana by worshipping Buddha in the inner, middle and outer parts of Lhasa. All activities last through the whole month and Its climax is on 15 April. Saga Dawa is also known as Fangsheng, meaning setting animals free. During the festival people do not meat meat or slaughter.

Shoton/Yogurt Festival

Shoton means yogurt banquet in Tibetan language. To celebrate the festival, artists give the performances at Norbulingka. Besides, an annual ceremony of showing the Buddha's paintings is held at Drepung Monastery.

Bathing Festival

The Bathing Festival often falls on the first ten days of the seventh Tibetan month. Lasting a week, it is also known as the Bathing Week. The water during this week is held to be extremely holy and clean, which can cleanse dust, cure diseases, and better heath. So people go bathing, washing clothes, and play in the river.

Onkor/Harvest Festival

Onkor means 'surrounding the farmland' in Tibetan language. It is an old festival in the farming area of Tibet held in each August in Tibetan calendar when the crops are waiting to be harvested. Farmer's events include horse racing, shooting, singing and dancing and so on.

Tsongkapa/Festival of Light

It is believed to be the initiation of Tsongkapa, the founder of Gelugpa or Yellow Sect of Lamaism, when people commemorate it by lighting the top of their house with butter oil lamp and ode Tsongkapa chanting Buddhist Scriptures.