Residents of the Tibet Autonomous Region had a festive day on Saturday as they celebrated the New Year according to the Tibetan calendar.

　　Gesang, who lives on Bargor Street in downtown Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, wake up early and filled silver bowls in front of an altar in his home with tap water.

　　"The first bucket of water on New Year's Day symbolizes good luck we will have this year," said the old man, wearing his best clothes.

　　New Year's in Tibet is celebrated for seven days. Residents in adjacent neighborhoods, all clad in fine clothes, went from door to door to exchange greetings and best wishes.

　　Yangzhoin, from the Xue Neighborhood near the famed Potala Palace, said she was preparing to make her greetings calls with her elderly father.

　　Wearing a Tibetan robe embedded with gold threads and beautiful patterns, and sporting a multi-colored cap, Yangzhoin looked gorgeous.

　　"I want to begin the new year looking beautiful," she said.

　　Residents decorated their windows with new curtains, and adorned doors and walls with pictures.

　　Buddhists, dressed in festive costumes and carrying prayer wheels and homemade lamps, engaged in scripture reciting and other activities deemed important at the 1,355-year-old Jokhang Monastery which was lighted by 1,000 decorative lamps.

　　Jokhang, a prime seat of the Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, which houses a famed statue of Sakyamuni, was added to the World Cultural Heritage list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2000.

　　In Qamdo, an important city in eastern Tibet, young people celebrated with song and dance.

　　Residents at the vast pastoral areas took part in a variety of games and activities, such as horse racing.

　　"We have every reason to celebrate, be happy and sing on the first day of the new year because our lives are improving day by day," said Gesang Yexi, a local Tibetan.

　　(Xinhua)