In light of my pursuit of knowledge of Asian culture, I have found my interests in the regions of China. I have very little knowledge of the separation in China’s culture, from its languages to its regions and traditions, China has as vast a culture as its vast lands. From East, Middle, and North China to South and Southwest China, all the regions contain unique cultural traditions, architecture, and dishes. One religious culture that catches my attention is that of Tibet, located in Southwest China along the Himalayan Mountain Range.

Tibet has always been its own country, which becomes apparent when studying their unique culture. Thousands of years ago, the Tibetans and Chinese had a common ancestor before a split occurred, causing a divergence in people and culture. Similar to modern-day Mongolia, Tibet used to be an independent country from 1912 to 1951; however, the communistic Chinese government invaded Tibet and exiled their government.

Although grouped with China, the nomadic Tibetans have unique customs and traditions that catch my eye. The first thing that stands out to me is Tibet’s old government. Unlike our known forms of government, when Tibet was an official country before the 1950s, they were ruled by the Dalai Lama, who’s biography is very dramatic and interesting: starting from his birth and recognition as the Dalai Lama at merely two years old to his official crowning as ruler of Tibet to him and the other Tibetan officials escaping China’s invasion to North India where they now reside. The Dalai Lama has ruled Tibet since 1411 from a Tibetan Buddhist viewpoint.

The Dalai Lama, Image From Central Tibetan Administration

According to Tibetpedia, Tibet is split into three regions within China: Central (Tibet Autonomous Region), Kham, and Amdo. Central Tibet contains the historic governmental buildings of their exiled government. One such building is the old winter palace of the Dalai Lama, the Potala Palace. This large structure placed atop a mountain has many layers of white, red, and gold buildings and roofs used to house monks and the Dalai Lama himself. In a more common viewpoint, Tibetan architecture takes influence from the palace, using white, red, and other culturally significant colors to adorn its ornamentation commonly replicating Buddhist/Taoist temples and pagodas.

Dalai Lama’s Old Winter Palace (Potala Palace), From UNESCO

Aside from its architecture, Tibetans, being primarily Buddhist, celebrate a wide variety of holidays. Tibetans celebrate New Years February into March called Losar. They celebrate with special dishes such as guthuk (soup with small dumplings) and chemar (barley wine). In addition, the festival continues for fifteen, three days being the primary celebration, with each day having different activities including visiting monasteries, enjoying and visiting family, and using “new” things in the new year such as the “first water” of the new year. Festivities also include traditional garbs, dances, and gatherings. Many more festivals like this happen often in Tibet such as Fairy Day, Saga Dawa, Sho Dun, and Butter Lamp Festival.

Losar, Image From Travel Triangle

Amongst its governmental complexities and history, Tibet’s unique religious culture and tradition makes it a beautiful land. For centuries, the Dalai Lama ruled Tibet, until recently China took control of its land, exiling its government to North India. Besides its separation, their people continue to celebrate festivals with deep tradition rooted in religion, family, and color, as represented not only in its people but its architecture as well. After learning this, I discovered how interesting China’s oldest native population is, and thus, my inclination to travel has been extended to the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Dalai Lama Biography

Tibetpedia