Qinghai Travel Guide

Major Festivals and Celebrations in Qinghai

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Major Festivals and Celebrations in Qinghai

People in the Qinghai-Tibet highland celebrate their traditional festivals. Tibetan Buddhism has significantly influenced the plateau residents for centuries and most of the festivals they celebrated are Buddhism related. Major festivals in Qinghai includes: Tibet New Year, Butter Lamp Festival, Sunning of the Buddha Festival  

Butter Lamp Festival

The Butter Lamp Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month every year by the Tibetan in Qinghai and Gansu provinces. It ‘s the last day of the Great Prayer Festival. To honor the victory of Sakyamuni in a debate against Heretics,people assemble at the Barkhor Street in Lhasa, worshiping the Buddha in the daytime and by nightfall. People usually light thousands of lamps filled with butter in an intriguing assortment of designs including immortals, animals, flying birds, beasts, and flowers.. The whole festive will last all night. People sing and dance in great joy throughout the night.

Double-Six Folk Song Festival

Tens of thousands of singers and participants from the Hui, Dongxiang and Bao’an ethnic groups will converge at the Wufeng Monastery at the Huzhu Tu minority Autonomous Prefecture that day. They sing folk songs and exchange singing skills. Many other activities including climbing the holy mountains, drinking the local highland barley-made alcohol and some other village theatrical performance are also arranged on that day.

Tips:

1. Date: The sixth day of the 6th lunar month  
2. Venue:Wufeng Monastery, Huzhu Tu Minority Autonomous Prefecture about one hour drive from Xining.

Horse Racing Festival at Yushu Prefecture

Horse racing and arrow shooting are popular sports on the vast expanse of grassland in Tibet, which has a history of more than 500 years in the regular festival ceremony. The Yushu Horse Race Festival takes place from the 15th day of the 7th lunar month to 30th the same month lasting around half a month. During the festival, simple religious ceremony will be held and the the horses will be examined and identified, followed by horse race, wrestling, Tibetan songs and dance performances. Many people will take part in it and commercial activated are in addition to all the above.

Tips:

1. Date: 15th day-30th day of the 7th lunar month
2. Venue: Yushu Prefecture, around 800 kilometers away from Xining.

 

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