The New Year in Gongbu
As in other Tibetan regions people in Gongbu celebrated the New Year on the 1st of January, Tibetan Calendar in the ancient time. In the Tubo dynasty, 7th century AD, Nyingchi was invaded by the Huoer People from the north. In the late autumn the Gongbu army headed by King Arjijiebu was about to set off for the battle, the whole army was sad and reluctant to leave home because the New Year was drawing near. Being a benevolent king, Arjijiebu decided to advance the New Year to the 1st of October. As a result his army spent a very happy New Year before the coming war. When the battle came, the solders were exceptionally brave and won the war in the end. From then on the Gongbu New Year was celebrated three months ahead of January the first.
The celebration of the Gongbu New Year, having strong local features, consists of the following steps: ward off the evil spirits, invite the dog to attend the banquet, eat Jieda (a sort of food made of flour, ghee and milk), carry water on one’s back and sacrifice the Goddess of Harvest. All these celebrations are closely lined with the locals’ prediction of the future. In recent years the Nyingchi Trade Fair has been added to the traditional celebrating activities in which one can buy a wide range of handicrafts.
“Invite the dog to attend the banquet” is a very unique component of the celebration. On New Year Eve every household will put many wood plates in the middle of their yard on which there is food like Cuo (a sort of sacrifice food made of rice), fried pie, mutton, beef, ghee, fruits etc. Then they will ask the dog to eat the food. What the dog is going to take indicates a specific prediction about the New Year. If the dog eats Cuo, for instance, it means that the foodstuff will be abundant for the next year; if the dog takes the ghee and milk, the next year is supposed to be a good year for animal husbandry … After the dog’s banquet the whole family will gather to eat Jieda. The more one can eat, the better it will be. Because one will get so heavy with enough jieda in one’s stomach that the evil spirit fails to take him or her away.
On the New Year day, people will sacrifice food and highland barley for the Harvest Goddess in one’s field. A very long flagpole is erected in the field and the foot of pole is tied with wheat straws. The altar is sitting before the pole. After everything has been in its place, people begin to sing and dance around in a hope for the harvest in the New Year.
The recreations during the New Year holidays are numerous and impressive. From the second of January, men start horse racing and screaming arrow shooting. When the cone-shaped arrowhead is flying, airs pass through the tiny tunnels in the arrowhead, thus giving rise to the screaming. Besides wrestle, stone carry and wood cutting contests are also held among men. In the mean time women play games together; sing and dance for the men’ tournaments. When it falls dark, bonfire is burned in the village plaza beside a big wood barrel. All the dancers are supposed to bring along a kettle of wine and put it in the barrel. People dance and sing around until the sun rises the next morning.