The first month of the Tibetan calendar features the greatest number of festivals of any month, with activities scheduled on almost a daily basis:

The entire family arises early on the first day of the month to worship Buddha. They adorn their holiday best and greet each other holding Five-Cereal Containers and high-land barley wine. This is followed by drinking hot pear wine and consuming Tuba oatmeal and dromar refreshments fried in butter, all of which were prepared the previous day.

The second day is dedicated to visiting relatives and friends.

Lamas perform a traditional Buddhist dance at Yonghe Temple in Beijing, as part of the celebrations for the Tibetan New Year.

The Grand Summons Ceremony begins in Lhasa on the fourth day of the month. Zongkapa, the founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, introduced the ceremony to Lhasa in 1409 to honor Sakyamuni who subdued evil spirits. Ceremonial activities begin with lamas from Lhasa’s three major monasteries reciting Buddhist sutras, lecturing on Buddhism and debating Buddhist doctrines in front of the statue of Sakyamuni in the Jokhang Monastery. Highly successful participants are granted the highest Buddhist academic title known as Lharamba Geshi. The government distributes alms to lamas during ceremonial activities, with devout Buddhists from throughout the region refilling butter lamps and presenting alms. The ceremony lasts until the 25th day of the month when the monastery greets Maitreya.

To allow the massive number of workers and cadres of Tibet to have a happy traditional New Year, the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of the Autonomous Region has listed the Tibetan New Year as a legal holiday in the autonomous region, deciding that from now on the Tibetan people can have a holiday of seven days every year for the Tibetan New Year.

Monks blow bugles during the Lamaist devil dance ceremony.