When do Tibetans celebrate the New Year?

When do Tibetans celebrate the New Year?

Tibetans are one of the 56 ethnic groups in China and the aborigines of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In China, they are mainly distributed in Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai and western Sichuan. The following is the time for Tibetans to celebrate the New Year. I hope I can help you!

Tibetan New Year is a traditional Tibetan festival. Like many ethnic groups in the world, celebrating the arrival of the New Year is one of the most grand and grand activities for Tibetans.

The determination of Tibetan calendar year is closely related to the use of Tibetan calendar year. The official use of Tibetan calendar began more than 950 years ago, that is, the year of Ding Mao in the lunar calendar (AD 1027). Since then, the usage of Tibetan calendar has been inherited. This calendar algorithm is closely related to the cultural exchange in the Central Plains. It turns out that the calendar of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is not like this. According to written records, Tibet had its own calendar algorithm more than 0/00 years before BC. The months at that time were calculated according to the full moon, short moon, new moon and full moon of the moon. The operation is very simple. At that time, the first day of the New Year was equivalent to 1 1 the first day of the month in the Tibetan calendar. This is the Bonini calendar. In Shannan region, an almanac was once found, which was called "The Old Man Spins the Moon". This ancient almanac algorithm summarized in detail the rich production experience and astronomical almanac knowledge of Tibetan people at that time. Princess Wencheng's entry into Tibet in the Tang Dynasty brought many ancient books, including astronomical calendars, which played an extremely important role in the perfection and development of Tibetan calendars. At this time, the method of calculating the first day of the new year has been improved from the brightness of the month to the calculation method based on the stars. From the fifth year of Song Renzong Tiansheng, the Tibetan calendar was gradually unified with the imperial calendar (that is, the lunar calendar). By the time the Basiba sagar dynasty ruled Tibet, the Tibetan calendar was fully mature and the Chinese New Year ceremony was fixed, which has been inherited ever since. Since the Yuan Dynasty, the Tibetan calendar has defined a year as twelve months, thirty days in the big month and twenty-nine days in the small month. There is a leap month every thousand days or so to adjust the relationship between months and seasons. And learn to use the heavenly stems and earthly branches of the Han Dynasty to calculate the chronology.

However, the Tibetan calendar divides celestial bodies into twelve houses, namely: Aries, Pisces, Taurus, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Cancer, Aquarius, Sagittarius, Virgo, Scorpio and Libra. Twelve geographical branches are used for dating: rat, ugly cow, silver tiger, hairy rabbit, dragon, snake, afternoon horse, sheep, monkey, pheasant, guard dog and porcupine, and the five elements are wood, fire, earth, gold and water. This is similar to the chronology of the lunar calendar.

The Tibetan calendar takes twelve years as a small cycle and sixty years as a big cycle, which is called "Rao Qiong". The first "Rao Qiong" began in 1027.

Tibetan New Year Festival Customs:

Clean the courtyard, except interior decoration.

Tibetan calendar1Feb. 29th, many people painted "Eight Auspicious Signs" (that is, eight auspicious emblems such as auspicious knot, Miaolian, Bao umbrella, right-handed conch, golden wheel, Shengli Tower, Aquarius and goldfish) and "Yongzhong" (that is, ten thousand characters) on the ground at the gate. Some people also point a lot of white powder on the beams, indicating that the population is prosperous and the food is Man Cang.

Making "Gussie"

"Kasai" is a kind of biscuit made of ghee, which is divided into ear shape, butterfly shape, strip shape, square shape, round shape and so on. It is painted in various colors and wrapped in sugar, which is not only a decorative art, but also a' delicious' for entertaining guests. The variety and color of "Gexi" often become the symbol of the hostess's diligence, wisdom and enthusiasm, which is particularly eye-catching in festivals.

Chigutu

The ancient painting is named after the date, and it is called "Nine" in ancient times, which means twenty-nine, and "Tu" means batter and soup. Generally, families will make nine "Gu Tu" with different things, all of which have certain symbolic meanings: stone means strong will, pepper means frankness and fierceness, charcoal means black people, wool means gentleness, peas mean wealth addiction, dried peaches mean health, porcelain means purity, salt means laziness and so on.

drive off

One thing to do in the evening of Tibetan calendar1February 29th is to exorcise ghosts. The whole family will put the unfinished food and the "valley map" together as "ghost food". You also need to wipe it on your body with a gas bus, which means to erase your illness and bad luck. These Ciba should also be put together with the "ghost food" mentioned above. The exorcism ceremony is also very particular. Two men in the family, one with a torch made of straw and the other with "ghost food", walked in front, and the rest of the family followed behind according to their seniority, shouting "Get out! Get out! " Turn the houses in the house one by one, and the two people in front will continue to go out. When they leave the door, the family will set off firecrackers. Then one person walked in front with a torch, another followed with a crock, and the last one set off firecrackers. Everyone shouted "exorcism, exorcism ..."; At the crossroads, put down the crock and throw the torch on it. In this way, the exorcism ceremony will be completed and the next year will be safe.

Grab water

Legend has it that auspicious water is the holiest and sweetest. Whoever puts this bucket of auspicious water away first can avoid many disasters in the new year. After carrying water home, you should first pour the water into a bowl as an offering and put it in front of the Buddhist shrine. At the same time, we should also order butter lamps and incense, and pray for peace in the coming year.

Mulberry stew ceremony

Braised mulberry is a kind of smoke burned by pine and cypress branches, and it is a ritual for Tibetans to sacrifice to the god of heaven and earth. On the first day of the Tibetan New Year, people get up very early, the first thing they do is to stew mulberries to sacrifice to the gods, and they are always proud that they are the first people to stew mulberries.

Che Ma Po

As a necessary mascot for every household in the Tibetan New Year, chariots and horses carry not only the joy of the New Year, but also people's wishes for happiness and prosperity and infinite hope for a better life.

Towing cable inserted into warp

The Tibetan name of prayer flags tree is "Tajue", which means sewing colorful prayer flags on branches. For Tibetan families, such a "prayer tree" is planted on the roof to pray for a bumper harvest, good luck and prosperity in the new year. Therefore, this has also become a special "new year's goods" for Tibetan compatriots before the Tibetan New Year. However, you cannot choose the date when the prayer tree is replaced. It is based on the Tibetan calendar, and you choose a good day after the first day of the new year in the Tibetan calendar.

Plowing ceremony

At the plough-opening ceremony, people put on festive costumes, with ghee patterns painted on their foreheads, colorful flags and feathers inserted in the corners, colored satin covered with shells and turquoise on their yokes, and colored ribbons tied on their tails. Farmers simmered mulberry smoke in the fields, inserted prayer flags, and drove cattle to cultivate five beds around Baishi. Sprinkle one crop in each border, such as peas, highland barley, wheat, rape, broad beans and so on.

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