Tibetan New Year

People in the countryside of Nagqu have three New Years to celebrate: the New Year according to the gregorian calendar, the Spring Festival according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Tibetan New Year according to the Tibetan calendar. Of the three, people in Nagqu attach the most importance to the last one, which is spent in a lively and grand atmosphere.

On New Year’s Day, people will get up very early and put on their festival best. They will spread out sacrificial food, such as Qiema (a neatly carved box with zamba and other food made of barley or wheat), Tui (a kind of flour food with sugar, ghee and cheese), fruit and candies. In the golden rays of the rising sun, cooking smoke rises from the roof of every household; aromatic scent of Tibetan incense permeates the air; and people pray in low voices for a bumper harvest and peace for the next year. They will put ice around the sheepfold, praying for good weather for the crops, thriving of the livestock and good luck for the family members in the New Year. The villagers will greet each other and sometimes set off fireworks to celebrate.