Onkor
Harvest Festival
Harvest Festival (September)
The
farmers in Lhasa, Gyantse and Shangnan to celebrating their boomer
harvest in this time. During that time, people enjoy with horse
racing games, custom fashion show, songs and dance Archery and
picnic etc.
is a time for the farmers in Lhasa, Gyantse, and Shangnan to celebrate
the end of harvest time with horse-racing games, archery contests,
costumed fashion shows, songs and dances, and--of course--food.
The farmers in Lhasa, Gyantse and Shangnan celebrate their harvest
on this festival. During the time, people enjoy with horse racing
games, costum fashion show, songs , dance, archery and picnic
etc.
Ongkor Festival: It is a holiday for Tibetans, looking forward
to harvest. It is usually celebrated when crops are ripe, and
will last three to five days. People dress up, hold colorful flags
with good wishes, carry a "harvest tower" built with
barley stalks and ears. They sing and dance, beat drums and gongs
and walk around the fields. On this day, people also enjoy horseracing
etc. Then they will begin the intense autumn harvest.
After
the bath day, the field is ready for reaping in the 8th month.
Then there will be `wan-guo' (circling field) festival. All people
will put on ancient warrior dresses, ride on horses with fancy
colours to go through the fields. They will be led by people holding
barley plants, flags, Buddha's images, and carrying scriptures.
Parties are organized with drinking and archery to celebrate the
crops. It is only after these rites that the people harvest.
This is a very ancient tradition of Tibet. When Bonism dominated
years ago, Bonism priests would manage the procedures. After the
rising of Tibetan Buddhism, the ceremony changed to the present
form. The original intention was probably to train Tibetan farmers
for military coordination.
