Rediscover the Butter Lantern Festival in 2026

A monk is fixing the yak butter sculptures for the Butter Lantern Festival

Butter Lantern Festival (Mar, 3, 2026), or also known as Chunga Choepa in Tibetan, is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month of Tibetan New Year. Traditionally, the festival is observed to commemorate Sakyamuni’s victory in religious debate over heretics. On this special occasion, virtually all the Buddhist monasteries and temples in Tibet Autonomous Region will stage yak butter sculptures exhibition, puppet show and Buddha dance.

Monks are enjoying the gigantic butter sculptures.

The best place to experience the deeply religious festival is to stroll along the Barkhor Street, where a sizeable number of Tibetan pilgrims will line up to visit Jokhang Temple, paying their deepest respect to the Buddhas and Tibetan Gods in it. The exquisitely-made yak butter sculptures that feature the legends of Tibetan gods, Buddhas, and stories of Princess Wencheng, and auspicious animals like deer, crane, dragon, etc. are expected to be displayed on the Barkhor street or inside the monasteries. What makes colorful yak butter sculptures special is that they are piled up one after another, with floors of bamboo poles and scaffolding to support them.

The Buddha dance is an integral part of festivities during the festival.

Besides, the Buddha dance (also known as Cham dance), organized by monasteries, will also be performed. The masked performers wear colorful silk costumes and dance with the play of long Tibetan woodwind, trumpet, and yak leather drum.

The pious Tibet pilgrims totally immersed themselves in spiritual realm on the Barkhor Street.

As the night falls, the gigantic butter sculptures with numerous yak butter lamps on will be lit up, together with the lamps in the monasteries, signaling the climax of the celebration. The twinkling light of massive butter lamps at night, smoke of burning incense and ceaseless flow of pilgrims circling the Jokhang temple while chanting the Buddhist sculptures will impress you with the most stunning collective pilgrimage scene. Meanwhile, the vivid and skillful puppet is also a popular festivity for people of all ages. For farmers living in the suburb, they would celebrate the festival with dancing and singing around the bonfire.

If you prefer to experience the various religious traditions of Tibet and explore the secular life of local Tibetans, do visit Tibet during its intriguing festivals.