The Shoton Festival is one of the most popular traditional festivals in Tibet. It celebrates eating yogurt, the Tibetan monks who end their season of meditation, the watching of Tibetan dramatic operas, and Tibetan Buddhism.
It is held yearly in the period of August, or late in the 6th month, or from the get-go in the seventh month of the Tibetan schedule. The Shoton Celebration has turned into an extensive festival that impacts the way of life of Tibet.
Venue
During the celebration, there are festivities in the roads, squares, and cloisters in Lhasa. The primary piece of the festival exercises is fixated on the western area of the city of Lhasa in Tibet on the grounds of the royal residence of the Dalai Lama that is called Norbulingka (罗布林卡).
History
The Gelug Organization of Buddhism has a guideline that among April and June as per the Tibetan schedule lamas may just practice Buddhism in cloisters to abstain from stepping on and killing small living things.
At the point when the boycott closes, lamas leave the religious communities and laymen offer them sharp milk and perform Tibetan dramas. After 1642, the Gandain Phodrang (Heaven Royal residence) of the Drepung Cloister turned into the political, strict and social focal point of Tibet.
A huge number of individuals went there every year to give yogurt to the lamas and to request endowments. The Tibetan Show groups and wild yak moving companies all came to perform. Along these lines, the Shoton Celebration started.
Activities
On the primary day of the celebration, the Thangka is booked to be disclosed at the Drepung Cloister. Then, at that point, the festivals will start at Norbulingka.
The occupants of Lhasa will accumulate in the recreation area and celebrate by eating yogurt and watching the shows. Expert and novice Tibetan show groups yearly accumulate in the Norbulingka and perform different Tibetan dramas.
Tangka Unveiled
The preface of the Shoton Celebration is the Buddha show in Drepung Religious community. The quiet valley ends up being invigorated. With a horn resounding through the valley, around 100 lamas will convey the enormous scope Thangka depicting Qamba Buddha (or Maitreya) out of the Coqen Corridor of the Drepung Cloister and stroll towards the west of the religious community where an extraordinary stage is set up for the Buddha picture show.
At that moment, the mulberry smoke rises from all directions, horns resound and scripture chanting starts. The large Thangka will then be slowly opened up. People rush up to offer white hada.
Countless hada fly in front of the Buddha picture forming a great scene. Within two hours, the Thangka will be rolled up again and carried back. People will not see it until the next year.
Eating Yoghurt
In the Tibetan language, the word Shoton implies sharp milk dinner. Buddhists go to the mountains to develop themselves, and afterward after the time of development, their relatives will proceed to meet them in the mountains.
Coming back, individuals drink yogurt, sing, and dance. During the celebration, individuals will assemble in the recreation area to praise the celebration by eating yogurt.
Tibetan Opera
Veils of Tibetan Show
One more significant piece of the Shoton Celebration is Tibetan Show. One can’t miss it. Beginning from the second day of the Shoton Celebration, Tibetan Drama is performed from around 11:00 a.m. until sunset consistently at the Norbulingka and at one more park close to the Potala Royal residence.
Because of the restricted time, the exhibitions are just a refining of genuine Tibetan Show. Genuine Tibetan Shows might happen for a few days. The Norbulingka and different parks of Lhasa are specked with brilliant tents.
