Shoton Festival, a traditional Tibetan festival, is held annually in late June and early July in Tibetan calendar (about August in the Gregorian calendar). Thousands of Buddhists flock to Lhasa from all over the world and prostrate piously for their pilgrimage during the festival.

In Tibetan language, Shoton Festival means a festival to drink yoghourt. Buddhists go to mountains to cultivate themselves and after the cultivation their family members will go and meet them on the mountains. On their way home, people drink yoghourt and sing and dance.

This time every year, mainstream Tibetan Opera troupes throughout Tibet assemble in Lhasa's Norbulingka and stage performances and competitions for days, creating an extra-vibrant scene.

On the first day of the Shoton Festival, Drepung Monastery will hold a Sunning Buddha ceremony. At 8:00 a.m., on the mountainside behind the Monastery, under the first light of morning, a huge 500-square-meter picture of Sakyamuni woven with colorful silk shows up slowly amid sounds of ritual horns, unveiling his kind and peaceful appearance.

Tens of thousands of Buddhists prostrate reverently. Drepung Monastery is the largest Buddhist monastery in Tibet.

Another important segment of Shoton Festival is Tibetan Opera, which one cannot miss. Starting from the second day of Shoton Festival, Tibetan Opera is performed from 11:00 a.m. till dusk every day at Norbulingka and the Longwangtan Park opposite from the Potala Palace.

Due to limited time, those performances are the distillation of Tibetan Opera. Otherwise, only one opera can last for several days.

In addition, yak races and singing and dancing performances will also be shown during Shoton Festival, providing tourists a special experience of mysterious Tibetan customs.

(Chinanews.cn July 15, 2005)