When is the Tibetan New Year in 2022?

The Tibetan New Year in 2022 is March 3. The Tibetan New Year is the most solemn traditional festival of the Tibetan people and one of the national intangible cultural heritages. The Tibetan New Year is roughly the same as the Spring Festival. It is calculated based on the Tibetan calendar and starts on the first day of the first lunar month in the Tibetan calendar and ends on the 15th day of the first lunar month. In Tibet, a place where all people believe in Buddhism, the entire region is filled with a strong religious atmosphere during the Tibetan New Year, which is a festival that combines celebration and prayer.

The historical origin of the Tibetan New Year is said to have appeared in Tibet around BC, the "Baima" calendar algorithm for calculating the four seasons based on the waxing and waning of the moon and the rotation of the stars. Whenever spring comes and flowers bloom, people gather at Yalung Yasang to hold the "Yasang Festival" to celebrate the New Year. According to records, Tibetan King Budekonggyal would also visit nearby sacred mountains at that time. This kind of activity gradually formed a kind of Regular celebrations become the beginning of the Tibetan calendar year. In the 13th century, during the reign of the Sakya Dynasty, January 1st was designated as the beginning of the new year, meaning the New Year of the King. Since then, the Tibetan New Year has officially become an important traditional festival in Tibet and continues to this day.

The custom of preparing new year goods for the Tibetan New Year

According to tradition, preparations for the Tibetan New Year will basically start in early December of the Tibetan calendar, and the new year goods cover "clothing, food, housing, and transportation." In terms of clothing, New Year's attire and decorations will be prepared; in terms of food, butter, yak meat, pastries, etc. will be prepared, including a large part of the offerings; in terms of home, "fragrant cloth" (Xiang cloth) will be bought. The colorful fabrics decorated on the doors and windows of Tibetan-style buildings are usually sewn from colorful silk cloth), the purchase of new furniture, etc.

In farming and pastoral areas, new outfits and colorful decorations will be prepared for their horses.

Preparing New Year's goods is the most tedious thing in the Tibetan New Year, so we must prepare in advance, because there are still many things waiting for us to do next.

Cleaning

General cleaning should be carried out strictly according to the auspicious days marked in the calendar. According to traditional saying, if cleaning is not carried out according to the calendar, the blessings of the home may be destroyed. And sweep.

The 19th day of the twelfth lunar month in the Tibetan calendar is the traditional "Cleaning Day". Every household must clean all the furniture in the house, and even wipe the dust in each drawer. Not only for cleaning, but also for "thriving". According to the calendar, there are also suitable days for cleaning in the next few days, so you can choose a day to clean.

According to traditional customs, on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month in the Tibetan calendar, men need to have their hair cut and combed, while women must have their hair washed and combed. If something unfortunate has happened in your family, you cannot wash or cut your hair.

It is held on the 29th. The "Gu" in "Gutu" in Tibetan means "9", which means the 29th. "Gu" in Tibetan means pasta. On the day of "Gutu", the whole family will gather together to taste the meaningful "Gutu".

Eating "Gutu" noodles is a ritual that pays equal attention to food and entertainment. It is a unique folk tradition of the Tibetan people. Because there are nine representatives of different meanings hidden in the dough of "Gutu", half of them are good or bad. While the whole family was eating "gu tu", they discussed the representatives hidden in the "dough" in their bowls, analyzed each other's actions in the past year, and evaluated who was good and who was evil. It was very lively.

The "Gutu" noodles contain nine kinds of representatives: wheat straw: symbolizing the eternal pillar of upholding the law, which is very auspicious; ginseng fruit: symbolizing good taste and good fortune; cow dung: symbolizing taking it. Inexhaustible, inexhaustible, represents abundance; wool: symbolizes gentleness and kindness; porcelain tiles: symbolizes idleness; salt: symbolizes laziness; charcoal particles: symbolizes bad-heartedness and cruelty; pepper: symbolizes harsh words; black beans: symbolizes stinginess.