Buddha Exhibition Ceremony
The prelude of the Shoton Festival is the Buddha exhibition in Drepung Monastery, which is held at the foot of the Gebeiwoze Mountain. The tranquil valley becomes excited. With the sound of sutra bugle reverberating through the valley, about 100 lamas will carry a large-scale tangka portraying Qamba Buddha (or Maitreya) out of the Coqen Hall of the Drepung Monastery and step toward the west of the monastery where a special platform is set up for the Buddha picture exhibition.
At this moment, mulberry smoke arises from all directions, bugles resound and scripture-reciting goes on. The large tangka then will be slowly opened up. People rush up to offer white hada. Countless hada fly in front of Buddha’s picture, forming a great scene. In no more than two hours, the tangka will be rolled up again and carried back. People will not see it until the next year. Then people go to the courtyard of Gandain Phodrang to watch Tibetan Opera.
In the afternoon, the activities centre moves to Norbulingka. In the following week, the major activity is to watch the Tibetan Opera. During the Shoton Festival, the Tibetans bring along the old and the young and call on relatives and friends to the Lingka gardens. The Norbulingka and other parks of Lhasa are dotted with colorful tents.
Tibetan Opera Performance
Another important segment of Shoton Festival is Tibetan Opera, which one cannot miss. Starting from the second day of Shoton Festival, Tibetan Opera is performed from 11:00 am till dusk every day at Norbulingka and the Longwangtan Park opposite from the Potala Palace.
Otherwise, only one opera can last for several days. Then people go to the courtyard of Gandain Phodrang to watch Tibetan Opera. In the afternoon, the activities centre moves to Norbulingka. In the following week, the major activity is to watch the Tibetan Opera. During the Shoton Festival. The Norbulingka and other parks of Lhasa are dotted with colorful tents.
Nowadays, the Shoton Festival has become a comprehensive celebration activity with the most influences in Tibet. It's also a grand meeting for commodity exchanges. In addition, yak races and singing and dancing performances will also be shown during Shoton Festival, providing tourists a special experience of mysterious Tibetan customs.
Editor: Liu Fang
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