Tibet uses a calendar created by the schools within the major monasteries. It is based on the lunar cycles so that religious festival days and even their new year fall at a different time every year. The calendar is a mixture of astronomical observations, astrology and farmers almanac with some days being counted twice, eclipses displayed, along with all phases of the moon and the solstices.
In addition, the Tibetan method of counting what year it is means that our 2012 equates to their year 2139. The difference between the two calendar methods is 127 years, so add that amount to a year from the western calendar to obtain the Tibetan year.
Our 1928+127 = 2055 of the Tibetan calendar. Each year has a name consisting of two compo- nents. The first is an elemental name using one of five recognized elements in a specific order with each one used two years in a row:
1. Wood 2. Fire 3. Earth 4. Iron 5. Water
The second component is one of twelve ani- mals: 1. Rabbit 2. Dragon 3. Snake 4. Horse 5. Sheep 6. Monkey 7. Bird 8. Dog 9. Pig
Lhasa - Secrets of Tibet the Dalai Lama who views them from his pa- lanquin. After the celebration the sculptures are melted down and used to fuel the butter lamps in the monasteries.
Saka Dawa Festival – Held on the fifteenth day
of the fourth lunar month. It is a celebration of Shakyamuni’s Buddhahood and the death of his mortal incarnation. It is a period marked with good deeds and monasteries typically receive the bulk of donations from Tibetans during this period. Other beneficiaries during the period are the beggars and the poor. Tra- dition has it that anything given freely during this period will be returned to the giver three hundred times in their next lifetime.
Samling Chisang – Observed as a Universal
Prayer Day in Tibet on the fifteenth day of the fifth lunar month. The original observance was to commemorate the defeat of the demons and dei- ties of Tibet by Guru Rinpoche in the 8th century. In some areas of Tibet it is marked by the burning of sang (juniper incense) on the hilltops.
Zhoton – Held on the thirtieth day of the sixth
lunar month, known as the Yogurt Festival. It is traditional to serve the monks yogurt at the end of their summer retreat. The most devout monks avoid going outside during the summer months and spend their time in intensive stud- ies. It is said that the reason that they spend all their time indoors is that they do not wish to walk outside and inadvertently harm any in- sects by walking on them. During this festival the major monasteries hold cham dances and unveil large thangka banners.
Lhabab Duechen – This is the annual celebra-
tion of the Buddha descending from the god realms to benefit the human race. It is held on the twenty-second day of the ninth lunar month and is observed by worshippers flock- ing to the holy places across the country to pay their respects. Since it occurs during a period that is outside of the agricultural season the at- tendance is very large.
tan and Nepal. It is a time of pilgrimage and in the weeks prior to Losar the roads and water- ways are filled with people travelling to the larger monasteries to worship. Many bandits are on the roads during this period to take advantage of the increased number of potential victims.
Monlam – Marks the fourth to eleventh days of
the Tibetan New Year and is celebrated at Bud- dhist monasteries with a cham (devil dance). It is a Buddhist belief that viewing these dances gains merit for your next incarnation. Women are not permitted to participate and any female parts in the ritual dances are performed by young monks.
Cham dances are illegal under the rules of the Chinese occupation from 1950 onward. In recent years, the dances have been permit- ted in those monasteries that are located in tourist areas.
Chunga Choepa – Known as the Butter Lamp
Festival, this marks the fifteenth and final day of the lunar New Year. In Lhasa there is tradition- ally a competition between the various monas- teries for butter sculptures. They are judged by
Baimo Nazhi Chemi Norbu Chodon Oshoe Choegyal Paljor Choksay Palkyi Chomo Phuntsok Chopel Tamdin Chungdak Tethong Dagpo Tharchin Damdul Thinley Deckyi Thupten Dhundup Trungpa Dolkar Tsamchoe Dolma Tsering Dorjee Tsomo Gyalpo Tulku Gyaltsen Wangdu Gyari Wangyal Kunchok Yangzom Kyab Youdon Lhamo Yuthok Lhundup
Tibetan Food
In some areas of Tibet the barren land and short growing season makes it impossible to grow enough food to survive. This has led to many Tibetans living a nomadic existence, travelling constantly to locate good grazing ground for their herd animals and gathering wild grains and root vegetables.
The most abundant staple foods are hardy varieties of barley and wheat that have evolved to survive at high altitudes. Surprisingly, for a Buddhist country, meat makes up a large part of the Tibetan diet. Popular types of meat are yak, pork, mutton and beef (the last including the hybrid yak/cow breed known as dzomo.)
Butter made from the abundant yak herds is another important part of the Tibetan diet and is used in almost everything they eat in- cluding their tea.
One explorer in the 1920’s describes a trip through the eastern part of Tibet where he had
Ngachu Chenmo – This religious observance
is more commonly known as the Butter Lamp Festival. It is the second such festival during the year and marks the last official festival of the lu- nar year. It is held on the twenty-fifth day of the tenth lunar month and is a remembrance of the death of Tsongkhapa who founded the Geluk- pa order of Buddhism (Yellow Hat Sect). The temples, houses and streets are all lit by butter lamps during the evening.