The music of Tibet reflects the cultural heritage of the trans-Himalayan region, centered in Tibet but also known wherever ethnic Tibetan groups are found in India, Bhutan, Nepal and further abroad. First and foremost Tibetan music is religious music, reflecting the profound influence of Tibetan Buddhism on the culture.
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Category: Tibet Culture
Tibetan rug making is an ancient art and craft in the tradition of Tibetan people. These rugs are primarily made from tibetan highland sheep‘s virgin wool. The Tibetan uses rugs for almost any domestic use from flooring to wall hanging to horse saddles.
The process of making tibetan rugs is unique in the sense that almost about everything is done by hand. But with the introduction of modern technology, a few aspects of the rug making processes have been taken over by machine primarily because of cost, disappearance of knowledge etc. However some new finishing touches are also made possible by machine.
With Tibet’s occupation by Chinese communists in early 1950, Tibetan refugees started migrating to India and Nepal. With them they also brought their knowledge of rug making. Currently in Nepal the rug business is one of the largest industries in the country and there are many rug exporters.
The days of the week are named for celestial bodies.
| Day | Tibetan (Wylie) | Phonetic transcription | Object |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | ????????? (gza’ nyi ma) | Sa nyi-ma | Sun |
| Monday | ????????? (gza’ zla ba) | Sa da-wa | Moon |
| Tuesday | ???????????? (gza’ mig dmar) | Sa Ming-mar | Mars |
| Wednesday | ?????????? (gza’ lhak pa) | Sa Lhak-pa | Mercury |
| Thursday | ??????????? (gza’ phur bu) | Sa Phur-bu | Jupiter |
| Friday | ?????????? (gza’ pa sangs) | Sa Pa-sang | Venus |
| Saturday | ??????????? (gza’ spen pa) | Sa Pen-pa | Saturn |
Nyima “Sun”, Dawa “Moon” and Lhakpa “Mercury” are common personal names for people born on Sunday, Monday or Wednesday respectively.
The Tibetan folk opera, known as Ache Lhamo, which literally means “sister goddess”, is a combination of dances, chants and songs. The repertoire is drawn from Buddhist stories and Tibetan history.
The Tibetan opera was founded in the 14th century by Thangthong Gyalpo, a Lama and a bridge builder. Gyalpo and seven recruited girls organized the first performance to raise funds for building bridges, which would facilitate transportation in Tibet. The tradition continued, and llhamo is held on various festive occasions such as the Linka and Shoton festival.
The performance is usually a drama, held on a barren stage, that combines dances, chants and songs. Colorful masks are sometimes worn to identify a character, with red symbolizing a king and yellow indicating deities and lamas.
The performance starts with a stage purification and blessings. A narrator then sings a summary of the story, and the performance begins. Another ritual blessing is conducted at the end of the play.
Tibetan art is deeply religious in nature, a form of sacred art. From the exquisitely detailed statues found in Gompas to wooden carvings to the intricate designs of the Thangka paintings, the over-riding influence of Tibetan Buddhism on culture and art can be found in almost every object and every aspect of daily life.
Tibetan art is deeply religious in nature, a form of sacred art. From the exquisitely detailed statues found in Gompas to wooden carvings to the intricate designs of the Thangka paintings, the over-riding influence of Tibetan Buddhism on culture and art can be found in almost every object and every aspect of daily life.
The art of Tibet may be studied in terms of influences which have contributed to it over the centuries
Greek influence brought by Alexander the Great
The conquests of Alexander the Great brought Greek art influences to India in the 4th century BC. The Greek skill in statuary influenced Buddhist centers in present day Afghanistan and Pakistan and led to a new Greco-Buddhist synthesis. Whereas the Buddha did not previously have a standardized statuary representation, the Greek models inspired both bronze and stone statues of the Buddha to be created for temple use.
The Cuisine of Tibet is quite distinct from that of its neighbours, since only a few crops (not including rice) grow at such high altitude. The most important crop is barley. Dough made from barley flour, called tsampa, is the staple food of Tibet. Meat dishes are likely to be yak, goat, or mutton, often dried, or cooked into a spicy stew with potatoes. Mustard seed is cultivated in Tibet, and therefore features heavily in its cuisine. Yak yoghurt, butter and cheese are frequently eaten, and well-prepared yoghurt is considered something of a prestige item.
Other Tibetan foods include:
- Balep korkun – a central Tibetan flatbread that is made on a skillet rather than in an oven.
In larger Tibetan towns and cities many restaurants now serve Sichuan-style Chinese food. Western imports and fusion dishes, such as fried yak and chips, are also popular. Nevertheless, many small restaurants serving traditional Tibetan dishes persist in both cities and the countryside.
Tibetan kitchen items. Note the small size of the butter churn, with shoulder strap, suitable for nomadic life. Field Museum
Jasmine tea and yak butter tea are drunk. Alcoholic beverages include:
Tibetans are very conservative in their dress, and though some have taken to wearing Western clothes, traditional styles still abound. Women wear dark-colored wrap dresses over a blouse, and a colorfully striped, woven wool apron signals that she is married. Men and women both wear long sleeves even in the hot summer months.
Marriage ceremonies in Tibet were commonly performed by [unknown]. Polyandry is still practiced by some people, but it is not very common.
A Khata is a traditional ceremonious scarf given in Tibet. It symbolizes goodwill, auspiciousness and compassion. It is usually made of silk and white symbolising the pure heart of the giver.
The Tibetan calendar is a lunisolar calendar, that is, the Tibetan year is composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months, each beginning and ending with a new moon. A thirteenth month is added approximately every three years, so that an average Tibetan year is equal to the solar year. The months have no names, but are referred to by their numbers except the fourth month which is called the saka dawa .
The Tibetan New Year celebration is Losar.
Each year is associated with an animal and an element. The animals alternate in the following order:
| Hare | Dragon | Snake | Horse | Sheep | Ape | Bird | Dog | Pig | Mouse | Bull | Tiger |
The elements alternate in the following order:
| Fire | Earth | Iron | Water | Wood |
Each element is associated with two consecutive years, first in its male aspect, then in its female aspect. For example, a male Earth-Dragon year is followed by a female Earth-Snake year, then by a male Iron-Horse year. The sex may be omitted, as it can be inferred from the animal.
The element-animal designations recur in cycles of 60 years, starting with a (female) Fire-Hare year. These big cycles are numbered. The first cycle started in 1027. Therefore, 2005 roughly corresponds to the (female) Wood-Bird year of the 17th cycle.