Gar County Festivals and Activities
Gar Qiaqin Festival
Gar Qiaqin Festival is the most solemn and grandest festival of the year in Ngari Area. From October tenth to fifteenth in Tibetan calendar, there will held Qiaqin Grand Festival for five days. During the festival, there are activities held such as the horse racing, equestrian performances, shooting, and cabaret and goods trade.
Tibetan New Year Festival
The present Tibetan Calendar regards 1027 as the first year of an era. Tibetan New Year Festival is the first day of New Year. Tibetan New Year Festival is the grandest and most solemn festival in Tibet. There is a series of entertainment activities will be held during Tibet New Year Festival. In most prefectures of Tibet, the Tibetan New Year Festival is held on January 1st in Tibetan Calendar. But Tibetan New Year Festival is held on October 1st in Tibetan Calendar in Nyingchi Prefecture, and held on December 1st in Tibetan Calendar in Shigatse Prefecture. The Kongpo District in Eastern Tibet has the custom of spending New Year Festival in summer.
Shoton Festival
Shoton Festival means "the festival for eating yogurt". It is a festival symbolizes harvest. Since Tibetans will gather in Lhasa to perform Tibetan Opera, it is also named "Tibetan Opera Festival". It is one of the largest festivals of Tibet.
Saga Dawa Festival
In Tibetan Calendar, April 15th is the day when Sakyamuni born, passed away and became Buddha, as well as Princess Wencheng came into Tibet. It is said that Tibetans in every place will circumambulate and worship Buddha on this day. Saga Dawa Festival was with rich religious color in early period. Later, it gradually changed to Mass Park Traveling. Thousands of people will circumambulate Lingkhor. In the afternoon of this day, people who circumambulate will go boating, sing songs and dance in Dragon King Pool. Tibetans in other districts will circumambulate local holy mountains or holy lakes.
