The Tibetan People Introduction

                                            The Tibetan People

The Tibetans in Yunnan have a population of 11,000 people.Most of them live in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture with a small number of them scattered over the counties of Lijiang,Gongshan and Yongsheng.

They are the descendants of the Qiang people,an ancient nomadic tribe.The life at precipitous highlands with frigid weather in northwestern Yunnan where are the same as those of the Tibetans living in the Tibet Autonomous region.

The Tibetan people are mainly engaged in animal husbandry and they all live on vast grassland.

To present a "hada" is regarded by the Tibetans as a ceremony of showing one's supreme esteem.A "hada" is usually a piece of white gauze or silk. A"hada" is always presented to the interviewer so as to show respect.

The Tibetan people believe in Lamaism,Their festivals are mostly associated with the religion.On the day just before the Eve of the Tibetan New Year,every family would dump rubbish in the western direction at sunset.In doing so they think rubbishy things would disappear with the setting sun.On the eve of the Tibetan New year,food,such as milk cake,hand -picking meat and blood sausage are prepared.The ceremonies of lighting the Dragon Lantern and Burning Cypress Rosin are abserved on the New Year's Day.On that occasion,everybody will put on the lips a bit of "zanba" flour eaters.when dusk falls,young people celebrate the year of bumper harvest by singing old folk songs and dancing the "guozhuang dance"and xianzi(a three-stringed plucked instrument)dance round a bonfire.In the first month,the pilgrims set out for the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the Cock's Foot  Mountain,During the 1st - 4th of the fourth month,the time when Sakyamuni was believed to become the Buddha,religious celebrations are held with blazing lanterns,The Tibetan people also participate in horse races during the The Third Moon fair In Dali and Mule and Horse Fair in Lijiang in seventh month.Their brilliant horsemanship gains admiration and respect from various nationalities.