Yogurt festival is also known as Drepung monastery festivals. In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, monks would stay in the monastery for a retreat for the summer months to avoid walking on the emerging summer insects and Killing them. The celebration began in the 16th Century with a banquet provided by the laypeople for monks featuring Yogurt.
So the festival is usually celebrated at the end of summer raining season in Lhasa of Tibet from 30th 6th lunar month to the 15th of the 7th lunar month. Later on, the celebration is added to the Tibetan Opera in the Norbulingka to the festival.
Tourist Guide for Yogurt Festival
The Yogurt festival began on the 15th days of the 5th lunar month at the Drepung monastery. All the Devotee would gather in monasteries to witness the display of enormous thangka at the monastery. This journey to the foot of the Applique Thangka would take you about 5-8 hours depending on what hours you will go there. We usually go to the monastery at 4:00 AM to have an audience with the thangka.
At the monastery in the morning monks will take out the thangka stored in the monastery, and display it. After the display and ritual ceremony, Lhamo Troupe will perform at the foothill.
There is the same Yogurt festival ceremony at the Sera Monastery, but the ceremony at the monastery is less popular and less elegant. But many people to have the audience of the display in both monastery.
In the Afternoon. There is a Tibetan Opera performance at the Norbulingka Palace. The performance will continue in the park for the next nine days. The Yogurt festival perfect time for Locals to Picnicking in the Park. It is a great time to see and may participate in how We are picnicking in Tibet.
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