Bathing Week of Tibet

Bathing Week of Tibet - Brief Introduction

At the end of summer and beginning of autumn, on the sky of the southeast of Lhasa, a new bright star would appear. This is just the time the Tibetan people begin their bathing week. It is said that the star only appears for seven days. But why do the Tibetan people make the days the star appears as their bathing week?

Bathing Week of Tibetan - The Legend

In one autumn of the ancient times, lots of people and livestock got ill and dead. The corpses lie all over the countryside and you could hardly bear the sight. The condition of the disaster even shocked the gods. The Avalokitesvara decided to save people from the sea of bitterness, so she dispatched seven fairy maidens to fetch spunk-water from the liquid pool, and they sprayed the spunk-water all over the rivers and streams of Tibet. If people take a bath in the water, they would be able to get ride of the illness, which stopped the pest from spreading at last. From then on, when the Venus appears, people would go to take a bath in the river. At last, they made the days from July, 6 to 12 as the bathing week, which is a unique festival for Tibetan people. Tibetan people also call it Gamariji, meaning the days of taking bathes.

Bathing Week of Tibet- The Activity

During the bathing week, the whole family would gather to the riverside, banks, streams or lakes. They often put up tents under the tree shade, covering carpets and building pot and stove, then a temporary home is built. They have prepared rich food and drinks to treat the relatives and friends. People enjoy a nice meeting together and spend a happy bathing week. Of course, the main part of their activity is to take a bath. When the melt of snow flows, it has gone through some rare herbal medicine like the Saussurea involucrate. The sparkling and crystal-clear snow water has been mixed with the active ingredients of rare medicine, being a natural bath preparation of cleaning, disinfecting and health protection. When the bathing begins, the old stand at the banks to wash head and begin the rubdown. The youth would jump into the river to play and wash. The children are chasing about in the river, and the women also can't help jumping in the water to enjoy the bath without scruples. At that time, the rivers and lakes are with open minds, holding all the gathered people and clean them thoroughly. All these views last for seven days. Not only do people clean themselves, but also they wash the beddings and clothes. The bathing week has been the most through and spontaneous activity of health for Tibetan people. The water brings away the illness, disaster and dirty and brings about cleanness and warmness for health and longevity, which is the favorite of Tibetan people.