Taboos and Matters Needs Attention in Tibet

When Tibetan people receive guests, both in walking and talking, they always follow the guests or the elders. They like to use honorific, for example, they often add "La" behind your names, and it is taboo to call one's name directly. When seeing off the guests, they usually bend down and with smile on their faces. When sitting indoor, you should cross your legs, and mustn't extend your legs and with your soles facing others. Remember, don't look around. Be sure to receive presents with both hands. When giving presents, you had better stoop down, with your hands up above your head. When serving tea, wine and cigarettes, you also should do it with your both hands, and your fingers can't be put in the bowl.

The biggest taboo in Tibet is to killing livestock, especially for the Buddhists. Though they eat red meat, they don't kill them by themselves. The Tibetan people never eat ass meat, horse meat and dog meat. In Some areas, people even don't eat fish.

When having meals, remember not to be full-mouthed, no sound in biting and drinking.

When having buttered tea, you can only drink when the host holds in both hands to you.

Never spit or clap hands at the back of others.

When you see temples, Manidui, stupa and some other religious facilities, you should circumambulate from left to right, if you believe in Ben religion, you should go from the right. Don't stride over divine focus and brasier.

Don't reverse prayer wheels.

Don't touch others' heads with your hands.

While entering into a temple, no smoking, touching Buddha statues, turning Confucian classics or jowing the drums and bells. You mustn't touch the amulet, prayer beads and some other religious implements adorned by the Lama. Be quiet in the temple, when sitting down, be sure to be upright. Of course, you can't kill livestock there.

Don't relieve yourself at the fold of cattle, horses and sheep.

Never use the paper with Tibetan to toilet paper or to wipe something dirty.

After entering into the tents, the men sit on the left and the women sit on the right.

Never throw the bones in the fire.

When someone gets ill or the women are to bear, they would make a sign in front of their gates, sometimes they light a fire, and sometimes they insert a branch or stick a red strip of cloth. When you see signs like this, remember not to get in.

Tibetan people think that everyone has lucky days and black days. When in black days, they can do nothing but stay at home to recite or chant scriptures or do out to worship Buddha. They believe that when the first terrestrial branch ends and the second begins, it is a black year. For example, the 13, 25, 37, 49 years old of one are all black years. They are very cautious in these years, and they recite or chant scriptures to avoid the disaster.