Tibetan Bathing Festival

A Brief Introduction to Tibetan Bathing Festival

Tibetan Bathing Festival falls on the period from the 6th day to the 12th day of the seventh month of Tibetan lunar calendar. In Tibetan, Bathing Festival is called Gamariji which means to take a bath. It is a festival full of rich Tibetan colors.

Mysterious Origin of Tibetan Bathing Festival

It is said that in one autumn long long ago, the Tibetan Plateau was haunted by a severe plague. So Avalokiteshvara sent seven fairies to bring seven glasses of holy water from the Jade Pond and poured it into every river in Tibetan Plateau. On that night, all the Tibetans dreamt that a sallow and weak, black-and-blue Tibetan girl jumped into a clear river to bathe. After she got out of the river, all the bruises were gone and she became a beautiful and healthy girl. Enlightened by the dream, all the Tibetans went into the river and took baths to get rid of the plague. After that, the Tibetans will bathe in the river each year at that time and thus gradually formed the Tibetan Bathing Festival.

History of Tibetan Bathing Festival

Tibetan Bathing Festival has a history of about 800 years. In the 11th century, the astrology was spread into Tibet. Tibetan people distinguish spring from autumn by means of the appearance and disappearance of Qishan Star, also named Venus (According to the record of Tibetan almanac, Qishan Star appears in the daytime for half a year and appear in the night for the other half year.) In the seventh month of each year, Venus occurs in the sky and can be seen by the naked eyes. Local people believe that the river water in this period is even more efficacious than the "holy water". So everyone will take the good opportunity to take a bath in rivers.

Activity during Tibetan Bathing Festival

The main activity during the seven days' Tibetan Bathing Festival is of course bathing. Snow on the high mountains melts into water and flows down the mountains into the rivers. In this process, the water will flow through many precious herbs such as the snow lotus and some of the effective elements in the herbs are dissolved in the snow water and flow into the rivers which become the natural bathing wash for keeping bodies clean, disinfecting and health care.

In Bathing Festival, the elder gather on the bank of the river, washing their hairs and wiping their bodies while the younger directly jump into the river, swimming and bathing at the same time. The children are fond of playing noisily in the water.

People not only bathe themselves in the river, but also wash their blankets and clothes in the river. It seems that Tibetan Bathing Festival has become a massive and spontaneous activity for keeping clean. The snow water during Bathing Festival drives the diseases and dirt away from Tibetans and brings them health and longevity.