Shoton Festival is one of the most significant festivals held once a year in Tibet.

Shoton is a Tibetan word, where “sho” means yogurt and “ton” means banquet, which make this festival also known as the Yogurt Festival. Starting late June or early July, Shoton Festival usually lasts for four to five days, or up to a week. Lhasa during this period, is a wonderful opportunity to explore the charisma of the Tibetan culture and daily life by watching the traditional Tibetan operas, enjoying the picnic with local people and tasting the pure yogurt with other traditional Tibetan cuisines.

Hotel Recommendation: Songtsam Linka Retreat Lhasa

Tibetan New Year or Losar is the most important traditional festival for Tibetans. It begins on the first day of the Tibetan calendar, and the entire celebration typically lasts for 15 days, while most of the festivities will take place in the first three or five days. During the festival, tourists could experience variously local traditional activities, such as savoring new year’s cuisine (Guthuk etc), taking part in a ceremony called “expelling ghosts”, visiting the New Year’s market, enjoying performances (Vbrasdkar Dancing etc), joining the Buddhist kora, burning Pine Tree Branches and hanging New Year Prayer Flags.

Hotel Recommendation: Songtsam Linka Retreat Lhasa