Have your own Tibetan style wedding

Are you curious about the Tibetan wedding? Have you thought about traveling to Tibet to have your own Tibetan style wedding by following their customs. But a totally Tibetan style wedding may make you quite tired. However, you can still have one by having some small differences to make your own unique Tibetan style wedding.

1.       Wedding dress

Tibetan costumes are recommended to you. You can have your own beautiful Tibetan costume and Tibetan boots made by booking them in advance. The ornaments shall be mainly made of turquoise and corallite. But if you fail to have your own Tibetan costumes or you’d rather prefer your own country’s wedding dress, it’s also OK.

2.       About the wedding ceremony

Every culture has its own wedding ceremony, so does Tibet. The following contents are for your reference for your Tibetan style wedding.

(1)    Hang up prayer flags

Hang up prayer flags at passes, bridges, old trees and other places.

(2) Insert colorful arrow for each other

It was said that when Songtzen Gampo, the ancient Tibetan king, married princess Wencheng, the colorful arrow was being used for the wedding. The colorful arrow symbolizes wellbeing and happiness. What you should know is that the colorful arrow should be inserted in the back of the bride while in the belt of the groom.

(3) Antiphonally singing epithalamium

In traditional Tibetan wedding, there are special staffs singing epithalamium. If you can not sing Tibetan songs, you can just sing other songs to replace.

(4) Exchange your wedding keepsakes

You can have a turquoise or some other things as your wedding keepsake except your wedding ring. Besides this, you and your spouse can plant a tree to better memorize this special moment.

(5) Free captive animals

The Tibetans are very kind-hearted people and freeing captive animals is what they always do. In Tibet, it’s very common to free captive animals. So you are suggested to do so in your Tibetan style wedding ceremony. You can buy a couple of fish or pigeon and then free them.

(6) Campfire party

Fire has always been very important for humans and people admire it. A campfire party is often held in happy events for the Tibetans. They sing and dance surrounding the campfire hands in hands to express their happiness. Often, highland barley wine is served in the campfire party. So, enjoy the campfire party with your lover in the evening on your wedding day.

(7) Recite prayers

Go to a temple and let the Lamas recite prayers for you to get the blessing from Buddha. This is a little bit similar to the western style wedding.

3.       Choice of the site

(1)      You can choose a beautiful Tibetan village and invite the local people to join your wedding. They must be glad to join you.

(2)    You can also choose somewhere open near a scenic spot, for example, near the Namsto Lake. At night, you can enjoy the campfire party and the bright stars in the sky, which will make you feel like being in a fairy tale.

To be environmental friendly and do not forget to take the rubbish away after the wedding.

To have a date with Tibet in 2012

Hey, buddy, do you know what year is it now? Yes, it’s 2012 and that’s the point. It is 2012 and you are supposed to have a date with Tibet in 2012. Why? Forget the film, 2012?

Tibet, a place full of mysteries, located in the southwest of China, is the highest region in the world. No matter viewing from the Tibetan culture (it has its own language, characters, religious belief, art and so on) or its natural scenery ( the Namtso Lake, Mount Qomolangma, Mount Kailash, the glaciers and so on ), it is a good place worth traveling and travelling to Tibet shall never disappoint you.

Of course, 2012 is just a film and we don’t know if what happens in the film, 2012 shall be true or not. But I believe that all of us hope it will not be true. Whatever, it’s 2012 and it’s time to have a date with Tibet.

Sera Bengqin Festival

This February is a busy month for Tibetans, for the Tibetan New Year, Losar, falls on 22, February this year. Before Losar, the Tibetans have many things to do, for example, decorating the streets and their own houses. Besides, as a tradition, they also go to pray during Sera Bengqin Festival which is four days before the Tibetan New Year.

Talking about the Sera Bengqin Festival, there’s something you need to know. First, it is a traditional religious event and it is annually hold four days before Losar in the Sera Monastery in the northern suburb of Lhasa (Lhasa is the capital city of southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region). Second, as a tradition, the worshipers shall be touched on the head by the Vajra Pestle which is the treasure of the Sera Monastery. The Vajra Pestle was originally a weapon from India and it was introduced as a Tibetan Buddist ritual instrument in the late 15^th century.

On that day, if you happen to travel in Tibet, you may find that the Sera Monastery is crowded with devout men and women worshipers of different age and from different places praying and waiting to be touched by the Vajra Pestle to get the blessing from the Buddhas. It is believed that celebrating the festival and being touched by the Vajra Pestle can ward off disaster and hardship and bring happiness and wellbeing in the coming year.

Tibet, the holy place

Do you still remember the film, 2012? In the film, there’s a large disaster which destroys almost everywhere on earth, except one, Tibet, the holy place, which at the end of the film becomes the “Noah’s Ark” for all the human beings who go to Tibet for survival. Why is the Tibet? Well, considering the altitude, Tibet is the highest place and it must be the closest place to heaven. It has an average altitude of more than 3000m. However, let alone the altitude, Tibet is also a holy place for us human beings today.

Tibet lies in the southwest of China. It is a place I admire all the time. It is accompanied by the tallest mountains in the world. It is home to the third longest river, Yangtse River. It has the most beautiful plateau lakes. And it has the most original environment. The Tibetan people love their home, Tibet, and they enjoy their lives there.

Every year there’s a pilgrimage leading to the holy city Lhasa, capital of Tibet, performed by the Tibetan Buddhism-believers from all over the world (most of them are Tibetans). You may say it is nothing strange to have a pilgrimage, however, if you have ever traveled to Tibet you must be impressed by those pilgrims, because they perform prostration to go to Lhasa all the way, which may take them even half a year. And when they arrive there, their foreheads, hands and legs are all scabby. However, they believe that they should do that at least one time in their whole lifetime to get blessing from the Buddha.

Tibet is not only a holy place for those Tibetan Buddhism-believers, so for us. But if you ask me how holy it is or why it is holy, words can not work well on it. It is unique and it is solemn, which will make you just admire it. At the same time, it is also like a loving mother, always waiting for you. That feeling, you can only experience it by being in Tibet yourself, by breathing the air, by viewing what is in your eyes and by touching the ground under you feet. If you feel tired about the city life, travel to Tibet to refresh yourself. You are sure to be impressed by the nature’s fabulous creation and the Tibetan people and their culture.

Tibetan New Year, Losar

Today is special for Tibetans. Why? Today is February 22. So what? It is the Tibetan New Year, Losar, today. The Tibetans have their own calendar and according to their calendar, today is doomed to be a big day for them. Unluckily, due to the policy of Chinese government, Tibet shall not be open to foreigners until April. So, you may not be supposed to travel to Tibet to view this fantastic moment during this time. Here, I’d like to share you some pictures about the spectacular festival. Well, before joining in their big festival, I recommend to say “Happy new year” to our Tibetan friends first.

 Decoration before the Potala Palace

Tibetan furniture

New year food

 Dance to celebrate new year

 Qemar symbolizing bumper harvest in new year

Qemar

Tibet will reopen in April 2012 after a temporary closure from late Feb. to late March

 China plans to temporarily close Tibet to foreign travelers from late February  to late March of 2012, which means that foreign tourists would be banned to travel to Tibet during this period. The exact reason is still not clear, mostly because of the Tibetan New Year falling on Feb. 22 as well as the anniversary of a riot happening in Lhasa on March 14, 2008.

Tibet will reopen to foreigners in April of 2012 when the peak tourist season of Tibet approaches. From early April to late November is widely considered as the most pleasant time to visit all areas of Tibet. Therefore, Tibet's temporary closure to foreigners in 2012 has little impact on most tourists' plan of travelling to Tibet in 2012.
From Tibettravel.org

Polyandry families in Tibet

Nowadays, most Tibetan marriages are monogamous with familiar 'nuclear' families. However, polyandry families in Tibet were common in ancient times. Even today, there are polyandry families in some rural areas of Tibet. Polyandry is a form of polygamy whereby a woman has several husbands. In Tibet those husbands are often brothers, which is why it is most commonly called "Fraternal Polyandry".

The mechanics of fraternal polyandry are simple. Two, three, four, or more brothers jointly take a wife, who leaves her home to come and live with them. Traditionally, marriage was arranged by parents, with children, particularly females, having little or no say. This is changing somewhat nowadays, but it is still unusual for children to marry without their parents' consent. Marriage ceremonies vary by income and region and range from all the brothers sitting together as grooms to only the eldest one formally doing so. The age of the brothers plays an important role in determining this: very young brothers almost never participate in actual marriage ceremonies' although they typically join the marriage when they reach their midteens.
Read more at http://www.tibettravel.org/tibetan-people/polyandry-in-tibet.html