culture

main cities of tibet: lhasa , shigatse , shannan , tingri , nakchu , ngari , nyingchi , tsedang , zhangmu , chamdo

tibetans are the dominant inhabitants of tibet, accounting for d92.2 percent of the local population. there are also other ethnic groups, including moinba, lhoba, hui, deng and sherpa.

the tibetan ethnic group of china is noted for its diligence, bravery and long history. tibetans live mainly in tibet and also in some areas of sichuan, qinghai, gansu and yunnan provinces. they have their own language and written script. most tibetan people are buddhist. their staple food is barley flour, and they like to drink yak butter tea, milk tea, barley wine, and eat beef and mutton. they do not eat odd-toed mammals. in ancient times tibetan people buried their dead. now they perform cremation, exposure burial and water burial.

the moinba is an ancient ethnic group on the tibet plateau. most moinbas live in moinyu in southen tibet, and the rest are scattered through medog, conag, nyingchi and other counties. moinbas have their own language but no written script, and the tibetan language and script are widely used among them. moinbas live on agriculture, but are also involved in animal husbandry, forestry, hunting and handicrafts. their staple foods are rice, corn and buckwheat. most moinbas believe in tibetan buddhism. primitive sorcery is also worshipped in some areas. water burial is popular among moinbas, ground burial, exposure burial and cremation are also conducted.

most lhoba people live in lhoyu in southeastern tibet, and a small number live in mainling, medog, zayu and lhunze. the lhobas have their own language but no written script, although a small number know the tibetan language and script. lhobas live on agriculture. their staple foods are corn, millet, rice and buckwheat.

the hui people in tibet are concentrated in lhasa xigaze and qamdo. most of them are engaged in trade, handicrafts and butchery. they use both tibetan and han characters in everyday life, and urdu and arabic for their religious rituals. hui people are islamic and have built mosques in lhasa and other places.

the deng people reside in zayu county in nyingchi prefecture. they have their own language but no written script. the dengs live on agriculture. before liberation, the dengs stills used the primitive slash-and-burn method. after liberation, with the help of the government most of them have moved out of forests and settled on the river valley.

the sherpa people are concentrated in lixin township, dinggye and zhentang. they have their own language and use tibetan script.

the emigration of han people to tibet can be date back to the qing dynasty. these days han residents in tibet are mostly technicians, workers, teachers, medical professionals and officials from other provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of china.

tibetan festivals

in general, tibetan festivals have a strong ethnic and religious flavor. the first day of the first month of the tibetan calendar is known as the king's new year. this is the most important festival of the year. early on new year's day morning, tibetan men and women, dressed in their holiday best, go out to exchange new year greetings and good wishes. they also go to the monastery, or sing and dance on the street, but may not visit relatives and friends.

the 15th day of the first month is the butter lantern festival. during the day, people go to the monastery, while at night, a butter lantern fair is held on lhasa's barkor street, which is lined with racks displaying various butter sculptures, depicting deities, human figures, birds and animals, and plants and flowers. puppet shows are also performed to add a festive atmosphere. in rural areas, people participate in antiphonal singing contests, which sometimes go on for days at a time. this is the most celebrated festival in lhasa.

the fourth month of the tibetan calendar is buddhist month, the 15th day of which is the anniversary of sakyamuni's birth and nirvana. during this month the tibetan people pray for bumper harvest. the 15th day of the fifth month of the tibetan calendar is the lingka festival, or the world happiness day, when people dress in their best and go picnicking in parks.

the shoton festival lasts from the first to the 30th day of the seventh month. it is concurrent with the summer prayer meetings of the three most famous monasteries in lhasa. since a large amount of yogurt needs to be supplied to lamas attending the prayer meetings, and tibetan operas are performed on these occasions, the festival is named shoton- sho meaning yogurt, and ton meaning meeting. at this time, professional and amateur performing troupes gather at norbu lingka to stage tibetan operas. around the 10th day of the month, the troupes go out to perform in cities, towns, monasteries and suburbs. nowadays, trade fairs are also held during the shoton festival.

the eighth month of the tibetan calendar is the harvest thanksgiving festival, when tibetan people sing and dance, stage songfests, hold horse races and bull fights, put on archery, stone carrying and wrestling matches and other folk sports activities to celebrate harvest. the 15th day of the 10th month is the goddess festival, when religious rites are held. women are especially active at this festival, since they consider it as their own celebration. the 25th day of the of the month is the butter lamp festival, which commemorates the enlightenment of tsongkhapa, when people place burning butter lamps on the roofs of monasteries and their homes. the 29th day of the 12th month is the ghost-dispelling festival, when monasteries sponsor ceremonial dances to dispel evil spirits and pray for a bountiful harvest in the coming year. ceremony at the potala palace is always the grandest.

folk customs and taboos

it is important to know the local customs and taboos when touring in tibet.

the tibetan people practice many forms of social etiquette. presenting hada is most commonly seen - on weddings, funerals, festive occasions, and when visiting an elderly or a respected person, or paying respects to buddha.

tibetans do not address people directly by their name. usually they attach an honorific. in lhasa, for example, people use the suffix "la." in xigaze, the prefix "agyi" or "ajog" is attached to a man's name.

on meeting an elderly or respected person, tibetan take off their hats and bow, holding their hat just a few inches above the ground. on meeting a peer, they merely lower their head a little, and take off their hat to hold at their chest.

when visiting a local family, a guest will be offered highland barley wine by the host, into which he should dip his fourth finger and then flick, three times altogether. the three drops of wine are meant for worshipping heaven, earth and tibetan ancestors. it is only then that the guest should take a sip, and have his cup refilled three times. on the host refilling his cup a third time, the guest should empty it, otherwise, the host will be insulted, and considering the guest impolite or arrogant. while seated (sitting upright on the floor with legs crossed), the host will present the guest with butter tea. the guest should wait for the host to hand over the tea and not help himself/herself to it. when receiving a gift, the guest should accept with both hands. when presenting a gift, he/she should bow and hold the gift high above the head. when offering wine or tea, the guest should hold the bowl with both hands, and his fingers should not touch its rim.

tibetans do not cat donkey, horse or dog meat. in some places, people eat neither fish nor birds. tibetan buddhism also forbids the hunting and killing of wildlife.