With China Tourist Visa Resumed,
Tibet Tours for All around the Globle are Available Right Now!

It is the best time to join our Tibet small group tour in 2024 at the best local price.
+ 86-28-81754631
TOP
listicon

Tibetans are celebrating Saga Dawa Festival in May, 2013

The Saga Dawa Festival in 2013 starts from May 10 and will last to early June, 2013. It is the most solemn annual religious festival for Tibetan religious believers. Now, Tibetans are celebrating Saga Dawa Festival in May, 2013.  
 
The "Sagya Dawa Festival" usually lasts for one month from every April 1 to 30 on the Tibetan calendar. During the festival, the Tibetan religious believers from different parts of Tibet give alms to the poor, do good things for others and other religious activities. 
 
 
saga-dawa
 
 
Give Alms  
 
In the noon, streams of pilgrims will gradually disappear. On the footway on south side of Lingkhor Road, west side of Potala Palace, there is a row of old man and women and some young men and women with sick face sitting on road. Giving alms is an important content of Saga Dawa Festival. People think that Buddha can find which men of wealth have the will of taking across sentient beings universally and accumulating merits through alms giving and make fair judgment and sanction about them.
 
Sermon
 
During Saga Dawa Festival, there is a special Buddhist tent for holding religious activity. It is a splendid and bright large tent. It is as large as a volleyball court. It can contain several hundred persons at the same time. In Saga Dawa Festival, this tent is the place to do sermon.
 
Weisang
 
The high platform for Weisang (burning incense) is covered by dark smoke, and the burning cypress branches crackle. People will take out tsmaba from their pocket and throw on the burning cypress braches. Then, they will take out one or two branches of cypress and add to the burning cypress braches. At the same time, they will pray loudly. After that, they will kowtow on a holy rock. As time goes by, it shows believers' gratefulness to Buddha.
 
 
saga-dawa
 
 
Buddhists believe that the karmic merit of prayer and good deeds is multiplied during Saga Dawa. Pilgrims from all over Asia will journey to holy sites in Tibet this May, where they will perform rites such as prostration, circumambulation of holy sites and stupas, abstaining from eating meat, giving alms to the poor, and praying and spinning prayer wheels. 
 
As the holiest temple in Lhasa, Jokhang temple is the center of Saga Dawa religious activity. If you make a Saga Dawa Festival tour, you will see over thousand pilgrims in front of Jokhang Temple every day. Many visitors will also venture to Drepung Monastery, located a few kilometers outside the city at the foot of Mt. Gephel. Pilgrims climb the mountain to burn juniper incense. The night of the festival city residents will light thousands of butter lamps under the full moon. These lamps symbolize the wisdom of Buddhist teachings illuminating darkness and ignorance. 
 
Many pilgrims will make the journey to remote and beautiful Mt. Kailash in southwest Tibet, too. The most dedicated pilgrims will Kailash Kora in one day on a 52 kilometer trail over uneven terrain, some even performing full body prostrations for the entire route.
 
Master Catherine Jigme

About the Author - Master Catherine Jigme

With exceptional passion and outstanding leadership, Mrs. Catherine has dedicated herself to Tibet inbound tourism and China tour for 15 years. As one of the handful females who see great potential of Chinese inbound tourism, Catherine has made great contribution to promoting Tibet tourism and enhancing the employment of Tibetans and prosperity of local Tibetan community.

Over the years, she travelled overseas with Tibet Tourism Bureau many times to promote Tibet tourism. Currently, Catherine works as the marketing director of Tibet Vista, an opinion leader behind the whole team of Tibet Vista.

Email me about your travel idea

Have a Question? Ask below or email our travel experts directly at inquiry@tibettravel.org

Question Summary*

Details*

SUBMIT

Please fill in your contact information, we will send you the answer by email

SUBMITCancel

0 Comment ON "Tibetans are celebrating Saga Dawa Festival in May, 2013"

Check All Tibet Travel FAQs Here