Other important

　　festivals in Tibet:

　　1) Zhoston Festival (xuedun jie): From the 30th day of the sixth month to the seventh day of the seventh month in the Tibetan calendar. This yogurt banquet festival is also known as the Tibetan Opera Festival. Tibetan Buddhism's Yellow Sect (Gelugpa) founder Tsongkhapa ruled that believers stay indoors during summer to cultivate themselves. The idea is to avoid the careless killing of certain creatures which tend to more active in summer. When believers can finally go outdoors, local people serve them yogurt and there is a general celebration. During the mid-17th century, the Fifth Dalai Lama added an opera performance to this festival. Tibetan opera troupes perform in Norbu Glingka, the Dalai Lama's summer palace.

　　2) Horse Racing Festival (saima jie): August. There are many horse festivals in Tibet, but the horse racing, yak racing, archery, horsemanship and commodity fair makes Nagqu arguably the greatest. As August is the golden season for Northern Tibet's vast plains, herdsmen ride into Nagqu sporting colorful attire, carrying tents and saleable commodities. Soon there's a city of tents and much merriment to be had.

　　3) Saga Zlaba Festival (sagadawa jie): On the 15th day of the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar. Legend has it Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, was born, entered into monkhood, and passed away on this day. Buddhist followers take ritual walks, worship Buddha, give alms to lamas and abstain from eating meat.

　　4) Ongskor Festival (Bumper Harvest Festival) (wangguo jie): The date is not fixed. This festival is usually celebrated when the crops are ripe, lasting for three to five days. People dress up, write colorful prayer flags and carry around a "harvest tower" of barley ears and stalks. They sing and dance, beat drums and gongs and walk around the fields. On this day, Tibetan also enjoy horse racing. Then they begin the intense autumn harvest.

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