We have listed the major traditional Tibetan festivals below and you can learn about the interesting things about Tibetan people and their unique culture. If possible, try to time your visit to Lhasa with one of the city's festivals. Pilgrims often flock to Lhasa at these times and the city takes on a colorful party atmosphere, it will be one of your most unforgettable experiences in your life.

Nepal Adventure Point offer a range of itineraries designed to introduce the Culture and History of Tibet, as well with one of Tibet's popular festivals. Saga Dawa and Shoton festival are amongst the most colorful.

Tibet festivals as per Tibetan Calendar
 

Festival Place in Tibet	Tibet Festival 2010	Tibet Festival 2011	Tibet Festival 2012
Tibetan New Year/ Lhosar	14 February	5 March	22 February
Monlam Prayer Festival	17 February	8 March	25 February
The Butter Lamp Festival	11 February	19 March	8 March
Saga Dawa Festival	27 May	15 June	4 June
Gyantse Horse race	20 July	20 July	20 July
Thangka unveiling Tashilungpo	26 June	15 July	3 July
Zamling Chisang / Samye Dolde	26 June	15 July	3 July
Ganden Thangka unveiling	25 July	13 August	2 August
Shoton festival	10 August	29 August	17 August
Labrang Dhenbei Rikda	17 August	7 August	25 August
Karma Dunba	26 August	14 September	2 September
Nagchu horse race	10 August	10 August	10 August
Litang horse race	1 August	1 August	1 August
Palden Lhamo festival	21 November	10 December	28 November
Ganden Nga Choe	1 December	20 December	8 December

 Lhosar (Tibetan New Year): Tibetan New Year is the most important festival in Tibet. It is an occasion when Tibetan families reunite and expect a better coming year. Known as Losar, the festival starts from 1st to 3rd of the 1st Tibetan month. Specially made offerings are offered to family shrine deities; doors are painted with religious symbols; other painstaking jobs are done to prepare for the event. On the New Year's Eve, Tibetans eat barley crumb food (Guthuk in Tibetan) with their families and have fun since the barley crumbs are stuffed with different stuffing to fool someone in the family. After the dinner it is the Festival of Banishing Evil Sprits! Torches are lit and people are running and yelling to get rid of evil spirits from their houses. The New Year is coming! Before the dawn on the New Year's Day, housewives fetch their first buckets of water in the New Year home and prepare breakfast. After dressing up, people open their doors upon prayers and go to monasteries. People visit their neighborhoods and exchange their Tashi Delek blessings in the first two days. Feast is the theme during the session. On the third day, old prayer flags will be replaced with new ones. Other folk activities may be held in some areas to celebrate the events.

Monlam Prayer Festival: Monlam, the Great Prayer Festival, falls on 4th -11th day of the 1st Tibetan month. The event was established in 1049 by Tsong Khapa, the founder of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama's order. As the grandest religious festival in Tibet, religious dances are performed and thousands of monks gather for chanting before the Jokhang Temple. Examination for Geshe degree (the highest degree in Buddhist theology), taking form of sutra debates, are held. Pilgrims crowd to listen to sermons and to make religious donations.

Chunga Choepa (The Butter Lamp Festival): The Butter Lamp Festival, Chunga Choepa in Tibetan, falls on 15th day of the 1st Tibetan month. The event was also established by Tsong Khapa to celebrate the victory of Sakyamuni against heretics in a religious debate. Various giant butter and Tsampa sculptures, in forms of auspicious symbols and figures, are displayed on Barkhor. People keep singing and dancing throughout the festive night.

Saka Dawa Festival: On the 15th day of the 4th Tibetan month is Saka Dawa Festival. As one of the most important festivals for Tibetan Buddhism, the day is believed to be the day when Sakyamuni was born, step into Buddha hood and attained nirvana. Tibetans believe that one merit equals myriads of merits accumulated the other days. People keep from killing animals, refrain from eating meats and liberate animals. Sutra chanting, prayer turning, Cham dancing and other religious activities dominate the session. Offering sacrifices to the female deity enshrined in the temple on the islet of the Dragon King Pond, boating in the pond and picnicking add more festive mood.

Gyangtse Horse Rave Festival: There are different versions of the origin of Gyangtse Horse Rave Festival, which is also popular throughout Tibet. The festival usually falls in June. Horse race, archery contest, and other games are performed to entertain people. Religious activities also are part of the event.

Zamling Chisang (Universal Prayers Festival): Paying Homage to the Holy Mountain Festival, Choekhor Duechcen in Tibetan, falling on 4th of the 6th Tibetan month, is to commemorate Sakyamuni's first sermon. People, in their best conduct during the session, go to monasteries to pay homage to the Buddha. Circumambulation around mountains is the popular practice in the festival. Picnicking, singing and dancing are also part of the activities.

Shoton Festival: Shoton Festival (also Yoghurt Festival) begins on the 30th of the 6th Tibetan month. The origin of the festival started from the 17th century. When monks stopped their summer retreat which was intended not to kill newly hatched insects, pilgrims came to serve them with yogurt. Later Tibetan opera performances were added to the event to amuse monks in monasteries. During the festival, giant Thangkas of the Buddha is unveiled in Drepung Monastery and Tibetan opera troupes perform operas at Norbulingka. This opera festival is one of the greatest festivals in Tibet. Shoton is the transliteration of two Tibetan words which mean 'Yoghurt Banquet'. In ancient times, folks went into mountain hermitages to do penance.

Nakchu Horse Race Festival: Nakchu Horse Race Festival is a most important folk festival in Tibet. People gather in Nakchu town and construct a tent city. Dressing themselves and their finest horse, thousands of herdsmen participate in the thrilling horse race, archery and horsemanship contest. Other folk activities and commodity fairs are also held. The event falls on the early august annually.

Ongkor Festival (Bumper Harvest Festival): The Ongkor Festival is an old festival in farming areas of Tibet held in each August according to Tibetan calendar when all crops are waiting for harvest. "Ongkor" in Tibetan means "surrounding the farmland." Major activities include horse racing, shooting, singing and dancing, Tibetan Opera, stone holding and wrestling. The "Ongkor" not only shows people's wish for a good harvest, but also a good time for them to rest. Since crops ripen in different times, the festival is held accordingly.

The Ongkor Festival originated in the valley at the middle and lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River. The initial form is offering sacrifices to gods by natural villages to pray for a good harvest. Zetang in Sharman Region holds the Ongkor Festival in mid-summer. Each family sends out a representative, mostly woman, to form a 100-member team. They are dressed in grand Tibetan robes, wear their gold and silver jewels, carry dou (a measure for grain) and scripture book showing a good harvest on their back and hold colourful arrows. Under the leadership of a revered man and accompanied by the sounds of ritual trumpets and drums, they move round the farmland outside the village, shouting: "Yangguxiu! Yangguxiu!" (Meaning "Come back, the soul of the earth") The old villagers will burn mulberries on the way the Ongkor team must pass to worship gods.

Bathing Festival: Bathing Festival starts on 27th of the 7th lunar month and lasts a week, when Venus appears in the sky. Tibetans brings food and set up tents along rivers and bathe themselves in star light. The holy bath is considered to be able to heal all diseases and get rid of misfortune.

Buddha Unfolding Festival: Buddha Unfolding Festival is celebrated in Tashilhunpo Monastery from 14th to 16th of the 5th Tibetan month. Unbelievable giant Thangkas of Amitayus, Sakyamuni and Maitreya will be displayed on the monastery's Thangka Wall successively. Thousands of pilgrims rush to the monastery to pay their offerings to the Buddhas and accumulate their merits. The tradition has lasted for 500 years.

Tsong Khapa Butter Lamp Festival: Tsong Khapa Butter Lamp Festival falls on 25th day of the 10th Tibetan month, when myriads of butter lamps are lit on rooftops, and prayers are chanted, to memorize the passing away of Tsong Khapa who was a great religious reformer and adept in Buddhism.

Choekhor Duechcen Festival: Paying Homage to the Holy Mountain Festival, Choekhor Duechcen in Tibetan, falling on 4th of the 6th Tibetan month, is to commemorate Sakyamuni's first sermon. People, in their best conduct during the session, go to monasteries to pay homage to the Buddha. Circumambulation around mountains is the popular practice in the festival. Picnicking, singing and dancing are also part of the activities.