Tibetan people began celebrating Shoton Festival yesterday. With the theme of “Beautiful Home, Happy Lhasa”, 2017 Shoton Festival is going to held in Lhasa city from August 21st to 27th.
The opening ceremony was held at Drepung Monastery, the largest monastery of Tibetan Buddhism's Gelug Sect, where a large Thangka painting of the Buddha was on display. At 7:10 am, monks and believers moved the painting from the great hall of the monastery to the exhibition stage as thousands of people watched on the winding mountain road.
In addition to the opening ceremony, Buddha exhibition, Tibetan opera performances, Namtso trekking and other traditional events, some new activities will be organized to enrich the festive cultural life of locals and enhance the participation of tourists, like Lhasa Shoton carnival, equestrian performances, photography exhibition, “online Shoton” promotion, etc.
Shoton Festival, a cultural gala on the roof of the world, originates from the 11th century. Being the largest and most fantastic festival in Tibet, Shoton Festival provides tourists a good opportunity to participate in and understand Tibetan Buddhist culture.