Shoton Festival: The Blend of Yogurt Feast and Sacred Drama
Traditional Activities
Shoton Festival means "Yogurt Banquet" in Tibetan. It is held at the end of the sixth lunar month and the beginning of the seventh lunar month every year and is an important traditional festival in Tibet. At the beginning of the festival, people dress up in their finest clothes and carry various tributes to Drepung Monastery. In the early morning, a grand Buddha-unfolding ceremony kicks off on the Buddha-unfolding platform of Drepung Monastery. The huge Thangka of Sakyamuni Buddha is slowly unfolded. Under the sunlight, the golden luster of the Buddha statue and the pious faces of the believers shine in harmony. The scene is solemn and respectful. Believers from all over the place prostrate themselves one after another, praying for peace and blessings.
Subsequently, another major feature of the Shoton Festival - Tibetan opera performances officially begin. Tibetan opera actors wear colorful and uniquely shaped costumes and give wonderful performances in various squares and courtyards. Most of the plays are based on Buddhist stories and historical legends. Through exquisite singing, rich body movements and unique masks, the actors vividly interpret one legendary story after another. At the same time, people sit on the ground, enjoy delicious yogurt, and enjoy the Tibetan opera in laughter, enjoying the joyous festival atmosphere.
Profound Meanings
From a religious perspective, the Buddha-unfolding ceremony is the respect and promotion of Buddhism. The display of the Buddha statue symbolizes the spread of the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha. Believers can obtain spiritual purification and enlightenment by 瞻仰 the Buddha statue, and strengthen their own beliefs. The Buddhist stories in Tibetan opera performances vividly and understandably convey Buddhist doctrines to the public, such as the concepts of cause and effect cycle and good and evil bring their own rewards. While entertaining the public, it also plays a role in educating people. Yogurt, as a necessary delicacy for the festival, on the one hand, reflects the Tibetan people's love and enjoyment of life, and on the other hand, it also symbolizes harvest and abundance. People enhance their emotional communication with each other by sharing yogurt, reflecting the spirit of unity and friendship.
Saga Dawa Festival: The Sacred Month of National Fasting and Prayer through Circumambulation
Traditional Activities
Saga Dawa Festival is held in the fourth lunar month. The whole month is regarded as a special period. During this period, Tibetan people observe fasting, refrain from eating meat during the day, and maintain physical and mental purity. Every morning, people with prayer wheels in their hands appear on the streets and alleys, walking along the fixed circumambulation route. Barkhor Street in Lhasa becomes the most bustling circumambulation place. The believers chant the six-syllable mantra, walk firmly and steadily, and circle around Jokhang Temple clockwise. In addition to circumambulation, many people will also go to temples to pay homage, present hada to the Buddha statues, offer butter lamps, and kowtow, praying for disaster relief and accumulating merit.
On special days of the festival, such as the 15th day of the fourth lunar month, it is said that this day is the day when Sakyamuni Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and entered Nirvana. The celebration activities reach a climax. People flock to the holy lake to take a bath, believing that the water in the holy lake has special blessings on this day and can wash away the dirt of the soul. At the same time, grand religious ceremonies will be held in various temples. Monks chant scriptures and pray for the peace and liberation of all living beings.
Profound Meanings
The fasting custom of Saga Dawa Festival is for believers to temper their wills and cultivate self-discipline and self-restraint through physical practice, achieving spiritual sublimation. The act of circumambulation symbolizes the adherence to Buddhism and the understanding of reincarnation. Every turn of the prayer wheel and every step taken are regarded as accumulating merit. The people fully immerse themselves in religious activities this month, reflecting their piety and perseverance in Buddhist beliefs. They hope to obtain the blessing of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas through these actions, eliminate past karmic obstacles, and plant good causes for the next life. And a series of activities around the festival also enhance the cohesion and sense of identity among Tibetan people, making the entire nation closely connected in the common belief and cultural inheritance.
As important traditional festivals of the Tibetan people, Shoton Festival and Saga Dawa Festival carry rich religious connotations, national emotions and cultural memories. They are not only grand celebrations in the lives of Tibetan people, but also vivid manifestations of the inheritance and development of Tibetan Buddhist culture in the long river of time.
