Celebrations marking the traditional Shoton Festival, or Yogurt Feast Festival, kicked off in Lhasa, capital of southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, on Sunday.
At around 7 a.m., about 100 monks from Drepung Monastery in Lhasa carried the huge rolled-up thangka painting of Buddha outdoors and then spread it out on a hillside platform to bask in the sun, signaling the start of the festival.
“The giant thangka’s sunbathing is a symbol of good health and a good career,” said Ngawang Chozin, the 58-year-old deputy director of the monastery’s management committee. A long line of people presented hadas, a traditional Tibetan scarf that symbolizes purity and auspiciousness, to the giant thangka.
“When the cloth cover was lifted, the Buddha image gradually emerged from below. I had to take a step back to see the grandeur of the entire thangka,” said a 50-year-old tourist from Sichuan Province. “The sight was so breathtaking.”
The Shoton Festival, celebrated mainly in Lhasa, originated in the mid-11th century and was one of the first festivals to be inscribed on China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2006. During the festival, locals sample yogurt, have picnics and participate in traditional events such as Tibetan opera performances and horse races.
Source: https://www.chinahoje.net/traditional-festival-do-banquete-de-iogurte-comeca-em-xizang/
