Customs of Tibetan New Year

In the last two days of the old year, which is called Gutor, people in Tibet begin to prepare for the New Year. The first day of Gutor is spent doing the house cleaning. New curtains will be hung. The kitchen especially must be cleaned because it is where the family's food is prepared, and hence is the most important part of the house. The chimney is also swept free of dirt.

Then special dishes will be cooked. One such dish is called "Gutor"- a soup served with small dumplings and muttons. The soup is made from meat, wheat, rice, sweet potatoes, cheese, peas, green peppers, vermicelli and radishes. Some inedible things such as scraps of fleece, wood charcoal, chili, pebbles or coins etc. are always put in some of the dumplings. The fleece represents ill nature, pebbles kind heart, wood charcoal cruel, chili sharp tongues and coins good fortunes. Whoever eats the dumplings with these things inside, will "expose" their fate and nature. He must then spit these things out of his mouth. Then others will discuss it, talking and laughing, making a comfortable and happy ambience.

Then, the whole family kneads one succubae and two bowls with Zanba. They pour the Gutor leftovers and some bones into the bowl made of Zanba. One woman runs outdoor carrying the succubae and the bowls and throws them away. A man follows her tightly with a bundle of burning hay, murmuring that "Devil, come out!" and then burns the succubae and bowls with the hay. Meanwhile, the children set off firecrackers to ward off devils.

On the second day of Gutar, religious ceremonies are held. People go to visit the local monastery to worship and give gifts to the monks. Tibetans also set off firecrackers to get rid of evil spirits which is lurking around.

On New Year's Day, Tibetans get up early, and put on new clothes after having taken a bath. They then worship the gods by placing offerings in the front of their household shrines. The offerings usually consist of animals and demons made from a kind of dough called torma. In addition, this day is for family members to exchange gifts. Families also have a reunion dinner, which usually consists of a kind of cake called Kapse and an alcoholic drink called chang, which is drunk to keep warm.

On the second day of a new year, Tibetans begin to visit each other and treat each other. When they meet one another, they will always greet others by a word "Luosong Er'rang" (Happy New Year) or "Zhaxi Dele" (May you everything goes well). The lion-dancing and many other activities are started also on this day.

On the third day of a new year, Tibetans worship the Roof Deity. On this day, people will always climb on the roofs and plant new prayer flags on the roofs. They then burn the branches of cypress trees and throw wine and Zanba into the air. The waving prayer flags and rising smokes fly in the air with the prayer of Tibetans.

On the fourth day of a new year, an important religious festival is began to be hold in Tibet, that is the Monlam. Monlam was originally created by the founder of Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism-Tsongkhapa in 1409 in Lhasa. In the Monalam, several thousand monks gather in the Jokhang Monastery to pray to the Sakyamuni. The Monalam ends until the fifteenth day of a new year.

On the fifth day of a new year, peasants in the suburb of Lhasa will hold the grand Ploughing Ceremony. People are all dressed in finery. They decorate the farming cattle with colorful flags and feathers, shells and ribbons. Before ploughing, peasants will carry a white stone, which was brought to their home in the last year, to the middle of the fields. The white stone is regarded as the goddess protecting the fields. The peasants begin to burn the cypress branches and plant the prayer flags. Then they drive the farming cattle to plough around the white stone, each paddy is sowed with one kind of crop, for example the pea, barley, wheat, rapeseed etc. After the Ploughing Ceremony, all the people will gather together, drinking and singing until the sunset.

According to the traditions, Tibetan New Year usually lasts 15 days.