Etiquette-Etiquette in Tibet (zz)

[Arrhenius]

The Tibetan kowtow is a ritual in Tibetan Buddhism. Palms put together, Tibetans prostrate themselves on the ground, with the head, arms, and knees down on the ground, and move forward slowly, following every step with a kowtow. This is the way to express their most honest hearts to the Buddha, as they walk from their hometown to Lhasa. During the long journey, they wear wooden kneepads to protect their knees and fur to ward off dust on their faces, and kowtow every three steps until they arrive in Lhasa.

A kowtow rule is strictly practiced by Tibetans. First, stand straight, put the palms together, lift them above the head, and stride one step. Keeping the palms together and moving forward, the devotees stride the second step. For the third step, they move their palms to the front of their breast, and, as they stride forward, make their arms parallel to the ground with the centers of their palms facing the earth. Finally, they fall on their knees, lie down on the ground, touch it with their forehead, and then stand up and do it again. While doing the kowtow, they are supposed to patter the Six Words Sutra without stopping.



Kangrinboqe, meaning "the holy mountain" in Tibetan, is the highest peak of the Gangdese Mountains. It is one of the centers of Tibet Buddhism, Hinduism and the Bon. According to historical records, people have been worshipping it since 1,000 BC.

Tibetans believe that humans will suffer the six samsaras, (The eternal cycle of birth, suffering, death, and rebirth in Buddhism) and that there are two ways to avoid this painful ending. One is to become a Living Buddha by studying the sutra, which is obviously difficult. The other is Zhuan Shan (walking around the mountain), which, if done enough, can free believers from the six samsaras after death. In the eyes of believers, the Holy Mountain is Heaven in reality, even though it is definitely a hard, rocky Heaven.

It is a very long and tough journey from Lhasa to the Holy Mountain, with quicksand and bad roads on the way. Believers need to walk or kowtow along a road that is 57 km long and 4,800-5,723 m above sea level. The quick ones can finish it within a day, but most people will need two or three days to finish a round. Worshipping at the four temples around the Holy Mountain is a part of Zhuan Shan.

[Arrhenius]

On the roof of the world, the choice of name is critical for the youth. Economic development is playing a key role in the naming of newborn children, reflecting the wishes and desires of Tibetan parents.

Dainba Dagyai, 40, gave his newborn third daughter the name Gesang Medog, which means the flower of good days in the Tibetan language.

His name, which his parents hoped would bring him good luck according to their religion, was chosen by a Living Buddha.

"Both my parents are devout believers in Buddhism," Dainba Dagyai said. For thousands of years, ethnic Tibetans considered it an honour if a Living Buddha chose a name for their children.

Tibetans who could not afford this would name their children after the day the child was born, such as "Dawa" which means Monday, and "Migmar" which means Tuesday.

"Although I have had good luck, I still hope my daughter enjoys a happier life than my generation," said Dainba Dagyai, who sells religious articles on Bargor Street in central Lhasa.

Due to a lack of medical services, the infant mortality rate was very high and average life expectancy was only 35.5 years in the region before the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951.

Many parents chose to name their children "Cering", meaning longevity. Some even gave the names "Gyigyai" (dog's dung) and Pag'gyag (pig's dung) to their babies in the hope of driving away devils.

Nowadays the average life-span of Tibetans is 67 years, statistics show. Of the region's total population of 2.6 million, more than 200,000 are 60 years old and above.

Owing to their region's fast economic development and rapid social progress, well-to-do Tibetans have begun giving their children names which express their hopes for a happier life.

Tibetans have also kept up to date with the times. As humans enter the knowledge-based economy era, many names like "Yoindain Norbu," meaning treasure of knowledge, and "Yoindain Jigme," meaning knowledge and courage, frequently occur on school rolls.



Although a name is only a symbol for a person, the change in children's names reflects dramatic social changes.

These days more Tibetans want to give an appropriate name to their child and the use of family names, which indicate the social status of a family, is emerging among ordinary Tibetans.

Gesang, a research fellow with the Tibet's Academy of Social Sciences, calls this a "surname phenomenon" among Tibetans. He said the fact that ordinary Tibetans have begun to name their children independently and with their own surnames was not only a result of absorbing other advanced cultures, but also a sign of Tibet's progress as a civilized society.

People care about where they come from, their bloodline and what family they belong to only after they have personal freedom and independence, Gesang said.

In fact, there used to be no surnames in old Tibet. Many officials, noble people, high-ranking monks and Living Buddhas used to put the names of their manors before their own names to indicate their social status.

But this was not the case with ordinary people, Gesang pointed out. Ordinary Tibetans had very low social status and were deprived of their freedom by slave owners who treated them like animals and beat them arbitrarily.

Gesang said the appearance of surnames among ordinary people reflected the strong sense of personal independence of ethnic Tibetans.

"They hope to use bloodlines to closely unite their families," Gesang said.

[Arrhenius]

Many of Tibet's traditional customs and habits have been passed down through history. In this part of the world, Tibetan and solar calendars are in use. Funerals and weddings are arranged according to Tibetan customs.

When one dies, lamas are invited to chant sutras to redeem the sins of the dead. Relatives of the deceased give alms in monasteries, and keep vigil beside the body for seven sets of seven days, with each set ending in mourning activities. During this 49-day period, neighbors and relatives refrain from singing, dancing, or even speaking loudly. Regarding burial ceremonies, the celestial burial is dominant. The celestial burial grounds east of the Sera Monastery in the northern suburb of Lhasa and the Palbengang Celestial Burial Ground are the most famous. The Tibetans believe that when one has been dead for exactly one year, he/she will return to the world. At this time, his/her relatives will invite friends to sing and dance at home to mark the new life of the deceased's soul.

Lhasans pay much attention to the wedding ceremony. Today, when a man and a woman fall in love with each other, their parents will meet to decide upon the marriage. Generally speaking, a new family is formed through ceremonies such as "asking the hand of the woman," "being engaged," "having the bride greeted home," and "holding the wedding ceremony." Each ceremony includes drinking and singing. In the past, the bride had to ride a horse and would enter the home of her forthcoming husband before the rise of Venus. This also applied to a man being married into his wife's family. Having money saved up, the Lhasans spend a large amount on the wedding ceremony. Three or four drinking shelters will be put up along on the path the bride travels. A wedding ceremony generally lasts for three to five days. During this period, hosts and guests eat and drink to their heart's content.

[Arrhenius]

Tibetan people adore odd numbers as lucky ones, in particular, the numbers of “3”, “9” and “13”.

“3”—the odd number with good luck

The Tibetan ethnic group has long paid much attention to the auspicious date for a marriage if the ceremony and subsequent married life are to have a chance of going well.

The dates of making the match with the girl’s family, the bride’s setting out for her new home and the ceremony itself are all decided by Buddhist experts through divination. In addition, these dates are generally related to odd numbers, especially 3 and 9. Six is the only even number not regarded as taboo, as it is a multiple of 3.

In respect of the marriage ceremony, the chosen lucky date is usually the third in the lunar calendar; guests must be toasted with three glasses of wine; and, before drinking, the fourth finger must dip and flip the wine three times toward the upper, middle and lower directions respectively; three sacrificial altars or three wooden barriers must be placed along the route taken by the bride, who must walk round the stove three times and bow three times. The wedding usually lasts for three days, and the number of attendees must also by multiples of the lucky numbers.

When friends meet each other or when receiving guests, they must sing the toasting song—“three glasses of wine”, which states that the first glass of good wine is used to toast Sanbao with a wish for luck and happiness; the second glass is used to toast the parents and wish good luck and happiness for them; the third glass is used to offer the same toast to friends.

In receiving guests, they, too, must be offered three glasses of wine. The guests must take a sip, after which the hosts will fill the glass again. This is repeated, until the third time when the glass is drained. Then, the guests can drink freely.

According to the Bon religion, the universe is divided into three parts—heaven, the earth’s surface and underground. The Buddhist religion has three-generation Buddhas—Jiaye Buddha for the past, Sakyamuni Buddha for the present and Maitreya Buddha for the future; incarnation is divided into three circles—desire circle, material circle and non-material circle; the sun, moon and stars are called “three stars” to signify permanence. All these lend a mysterious religious feature to the number, which cause people to adore it.

The Tibetan ethnic group often connects good things with the number “3”. In the Biography of King Gesar, the well-known epic, it is said that the State of Ling in ancient times had three great Gods, three great Buddhas, three great monasteries, three great tribes, three great saints, three great queens and three great servant-girls, etc. According to the epic, King Gesar is the descendant of the three great emperor families of the State of Ling originating from three great saviors.

As already noted, Tibetans use the number for a great deal of symbolism, such as the three lights of the sun, moon and stars and the three parts of the universe. In religious terms, it also stands for the Buddha of Infinite Light, Mother Buddha and White Tara, who are “the three Buddhas of longevity”…

Only silver bowls or dragon bowls can be used as drinking vessels in Tibet. In addition, ghee must be dipped on three spots in the bowls for good luck.

“9”—Another odd number with good luck

According to the ancient books and records of Bon religion, Sangbo Bointri and Qoigyimo gave birth to nine boys and nine girls, each of whom eventually married to create the 18 couples who comprised the world of the Bon religion, leading to nine becoming a symbol of good luck.

In ancient books and legends of the Bon religion, it is always related to the structure of the heavenly circle of the universe. Heaven is divided into nine layers as well as the earth. Tibetan people will cook nine kinds of cereals on their New Year’s Day under the Tibetan calendar. Tibetan religious books are divided into nine stages. In Tibet, the number always signifies numerousness with the meaning of all. And the number “99” means so many.

People also like to use the number “5”. For example, after attending a wedding feast, everyone must take five drinks, i.e., matchmaking drink, question drink, acknowledgment drink, reception drink and wedding drink; there are at least five guests especially invited to the wedding feast, or nine or 11 guests at most. Even numbers are taboo.

In Tibetan history, thousands of interpretation masters have shown their talents. Among them, nine great interpreters were the most famous, being composed of three old, three middle-aged and three young ones.

During the era of the Tubo king Trisong Detsan, nine Bon religion scholars had to take part in the activities of offering sacrificial animals.

As Tibetan people view odd numbers as lucky ones, herdsmen will choose a date with odd numbers in the first half of every month to assemble, set off on their journeys, and hold all other important events with the hope of safety. When a herdsman toasts his friend, they will take a drink of three glasses at first, and a drink of three glasses for the second and the third times. Drinking nine glasses can represent mutual respect between friends.

During the Tibetan New Year’s festival, monks in every monastery will present gift packages of dried fruit to the Living Buddha and masters of scripture. They can pack one kind, three kinds, five kinds, seven kinds, nine kinds, eleven kinds and thirteen kinds at most, while even numbers are taboo. All these instances show that the principle of adoring odd numbers and regarding even numbers as taboo is always adhered to during any activities in Tibet.

Horse racing and archery have been popular for over a thousand years in Tibetan area. Early in the Tubo era, Songtsan Gambo had a strong team of cavalry and he often held horse races, equestrian activities, polo and archery on horseback. In King Gesar, there are many passages describing horse racing and archery. It is described in the book that, on one occasion, King Gesar went to a great meadow on a brown horse and a herdsman set up “nine sheep, nine goats, nine layers of armor, nine copper pans and nine saddle woods as targets.”

“13”—Yet another odd number with good luck

Since heaven is composed of 13 layers according to legends, and the thirteenth heaven is the Pure Land described by Tsongkapa, founder of Yellow Sect, the number of 13 serves as a very lucky and sacred number.

In the Tubo era, when Tibetans killed domestic animals and sacrificed them to call back the spirit of the dead, according to the disciples of Bon religion, the carcass of an animal could only be divided into twelve parts, becoming 13 with the head. More or less was forbidden.

In olden times, there were 13 10,000-households in the U-Tsang area. In 1268, Kublai Khan, founder emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, assigned the chiefs of these 13 10,000-households.

According to historical records of Tibet, the Tudo Kingdom founder Tsampo Songtsan Gambo ascended the throne at the age of 13, as did his son Gungri Guntsang and his grandson Mangsom Mangtsan. Ruisom Detsan and Beketsan were Tsangpo Langdama’s grandsons and the last generation of Tsampo of the Tubo Court as well. They also ascended the throne at the age of 13.

There are some folk stories about the number of “13” in Tibet. In 641, when Songtsan Gambo sent a party to escort Tang Dynasty Princess Wencheng to Lhasa, he held grand celebration including horse racing, and attended it in person. But he only won the thirteenth prize. So the number of “13” became a lucky number in Tibet and, in Tibetan horse racing, only thirteen runners in the front can get a prize.

[Arrhenius]

In a Tibetan valley, before the sun rises, a corpse tied in a fetal position is laid on a large rock on a mountainside. Someone is burning a fire with cypress branches and Indian azalea branches, onto which zanba (roasted highland barley) is sprinkled, and the smoke curls upwards.

A very strange odor soon begins to spread across the valley.



Within 20 minutes, a black dot emerges from before the rising sun and begins to fly towards the smoke; one dot, two, three...

Gradually, the first dot assumes the shape of a bird; with streamlined body, beautiful stretching and seldom flapping wings, it glides slowly downwards.

Cinereous vulture, which is called “Kor” or “Korcha” in Tibetan, can be seen in various Tibetan-inhabited areas.

Those currently found in Tibet are only in one color hemp grey. It is said there are white cinereous vultures, but they have rarely been seen. According to old people, in the early 1930s and 1940s there were many white cinereous vultures and they were commonly seen at each celestial burial ground. An old celestial burial master named Cewang said that he had adopted a young, wounded white cinereous vulture when he was young and gave it the name of Cering.

In the eyes of many Tibetans, white cinereous vultures are “deities” who have descended to the world as messengers of the founder of Buddhism If a white cinereous vulture appears in celestial burial of a dead person, that is considered a great spiritual favor on the deceased bringing blessings on all the descendants.

Zhigungti Celestial Burial Ground is the largest of its kind in Tibet. Each day, families send their deceased to embark on a journey to the “Pure Land”. Besides its long history and typically mysterious legends, the most widely spread story is that the head of the cinereous vultures came from the Indian Siba Celestial Burial Ground.

Tari Village of Renbu County presents a picturesque scene, being surrounded by mountains. Due to lack of highways and electric power, the villagers start work at sunrise and return home at sunset. When people and livestock die, the Yarlung Zangbo River is the final resting place. As told by the villagers, celestial burial was still popular here until 20 years ago. Because a young cowherd hurt a cinereous vulture by mistake when throwing stones to drive his sheep, the birds no longer appear at the Tari Celestial Burial Ground. Subsequently, the child cowherd developed a rare disease that disabled both his arms. Another story says that the daughter of a celestial burial master died and he carried the corpse secretly to the burial ground. This so offended the cinereous vultures that they disappeared.

In the nunnery of Tari Village, the nuns hold a Grand Summons Ceremony on the 15th day of the fourth Tibetan month each year. They all face the celestial burial ground and pray by reciting sutras, hoping the holy vulturesto appear as soon as possible.

Holy Vultures



Holy vultures, namely cinereous vulture, are normally large. Facing possible danger, they often shrink their necks and their eyes stare coldly. They like squatting on rocks facing the sun, so that the people call them “dog-headed vultures” or mountain-seated vultures. Their coloring is hemp grey all over the body, with dark brown quill-coverts on top of the head; the exposed part of the neck appears pinkish, sparsely covered with quill-coverts. The base of its neck is covered with thick quill-coverts radiating around the neck. Light brown lines are seen along the edges of the plumage and the wings and tail are dark brown. The lower body appears yellowish brown with light-colored longitudinal lines. The legs are bulky and strong. The part below knees is exposed in bluish dark color. The claws are sharp, and, when tearing at food, the bird is able to stand to one leg and use the other claw to rip off strips of meat.

The cinereous vulture is a bird of prey without the ability of eagles to capture live food as its claws are not sharp enough. It can occasionally capture a hare, but this is not enough to sustain life. When it is hungry, it has to feed off the corpses of animals. However, while eating the rotten meat of the bowels, the neck feathers inevitably become contaminated and they are hard to clean. With the passage of time, a few off-white short quill-coverts are left on the head and neck of a cinereous vulture, resulting in the familiar bald appearance.

A grown-up cinereous vulture and a newly grown young vulture are not much different in size, but they are definitely different in feather color.

A grown-up vulture is covered completely with dark brown quill-coverts from its forehead to the back of its head, and these are especially dense in the rear; the exposed part of the neck is livid blue with a pinkish hue. The plumes are light brown; the overlapping feathers on the back, shoulder, waist and tail are all dark brown; a circularly exposed skin on both wings close to shoulder blade looks like two eyes from afar. The overlapping feathers of wings and secondary and third-layer remexes are all dark brown. The primary remexes are dingy brown; the tail feathers appear dark brown; the feather axis shows a dingy brown hue. The lower body is dark brown; hair-like quill-coverts are densely distributed over the breast, with a bunch of conspicuously loose, spear-like long feathers on both sides. Slightly colored longitudinal lines can be seen on the breast and stomach feathers; the overlapping feathers around its vent and under the tail are brownish white.

In appearance, it is difficult to identify the males and females in a group. The individual size of a female vulture is slightly larger than a male. Young birds that follow their parents have a size close to their parents, but the quill-coverts on their heads appear black instead of dark brown. The rear part of the head is dark brown, but its fore neck contains black stripes. The complete upper body appears brown, but it is denser than a grown-up bird. The circular exposed parts on the shoulder blades are not obvious. The lower body is black.

Nests of cinereous vulture are generally located on cliffs or tall trees using dry branches, in which a layer of dry hay has been spread. In Tibet, cinereous vultures are resident birds. In the breeding season, they usually rebuild the nests of previous years. A nest can be used for several years in this way. Cinereous vultures do not like living in groups, and it is rare to see two or three nests together. A boy called Puncog in Nyangri Village often goes herding on the slopes of Polungka. He says nests built by cinereous vultures can be found on the cliffs and he has climbed there to steal eggs, but you to be sure that the adult vultures are not around. He also says that cinereous vultures that have hatching eggs are dangerous and will attack any strangers approaching their nests.

Once grown-up cinereous vultures form a family, the couple will live together forever. The reproduction period is earlier than other birds. In early March of each year, they lay eggs one at a time, and it is rare to two eggs in a nest. They appear grayish white, with dark stripes and dots on the shells, and are slightly larger than the eggs of domestic geese. The male and the female sit on egg in turn, while the other is out hunting for food. The hatching takes about 55 days. Nestlings grow up slowly. They have coal grey fine quill-coverts distributed densely all over the body, with yellow stripes on the back of the exposed necks. They generally start to fly in early August.



As explained by some celestial burial masters, parent cinereous vultures can be easily identified at the celestial burial ground, as they look busier than others. They sometimes make several rounds to take food back for the nestlings.

The feathers of a young cinereous vulture will not be completely replaced until the following year. After this feather replacement they vary little in size from grown-up birds. Even some experienced celestial burial masters can hardly distinguish them.

King of Cinereous Vultures

Cinereous vultures are extremely mild. Eating dead bodies is their need for survival. When they are very hungry, they may occasionally capture some small animals such as hare and rat as previously noted, but attacking domestic animals or even man is unheard of. They prefer to get close to man, and, as long as they are not hurt, their behavior is similar to domestic geese.

Gangzhub, at 88, is the oldest of the traditional celestial burial masters. Due to health problem, he quit his job in 1992. During a period of 62 years, from when he was 14 until retirement, he worked with cinereous vultures nearly each day. He is deeply impressed by the one called Puncog whom he got to know at the Zhigungti Celestial Burial Ground and even remembers that he was 29 at the time. Puncog may be nothing among the cinereous vultures at the Zhigungti Celestial Burial Ground, but he is kingon the territory of the Deqen Celestial Burial Ground.

Puncog worked well with Gangzhub once it became familiar with him. Generally, when a celestial burial master works, impatient vultures often rush to snatch the food, which affects the proceeding. When Gangzhub was working, he would call Puncog and the bird would waddle forward and spread its wings to ward off other incursions by other vultures. Gangzhub gave Puncog a piece of meat first, and the other birds then began to rush for food after seeing that Puncog was eating.

Do these special cinereous vulture kings exist or not If they do, what are their stories

I have interviewed six celestial burial masters as young as 25 and as old as 88, and they all insist that such kings do exist. The old celestial burial masters have seen them, such as Puncog which was not only familiar to Gangzhub but also was known to the old celestial burial master Lhogar and the Deqen master Cewang of the Sera Monastery.



However, they should not exist according to understood habits of cinereous vultures, so I undertook a series of investigations about Puncog and the golden cinereous vulture kingof the Dequen Celestial Burial Ground.

Gangzhub says that, before liberation, celestial burial masters were at the bottom among all the professions. Even their children looked down upon their fathers because of their profession. To escape from the biased public view, many celestial burial masters built small cottages as their habitat beside the celestial burial grounds. However, compared with common people, their lives were better as they had meat and other food. Therefore, some cinereous vultures that had left their arrival somewhat late would get some meat bones and meat dumplings when the celestial burial masters were eating.

But this only occurred for one or two birds that were named after some bodily peculiarity such as the lameand the one-eyed... Those without physiological characteristics would be named “Shida”, “Benba” and “Chigyia”, which were the names of people, as was Puncog. With the passage of time, a bird could understand some instructions from a master, and they would receive some special care as a result. For example, after the preparatory work had been done, they were fed first. These cinereous vultures that had close relationships with celestial burial masters thus eventually became the aforementioned kings.



In recent years, I have visited eight celestial burial grounds and watched not less than 20 complete celestial burial processes. Watching cinereous vultures from a short distance, I tried to find such a king but unfortunately was never successful. For example, I never witnessed the scene that other cinereous vultures dare not eat before the king had begun feasting. So long as a celestial burial master has finished his work, a group of cinereous vultures will rush forward. I remember well a time in Zhigungti, when a corpse was carried toward to the celestial burial ground, and the cinereous vultures lying quietly on the nearby grassland to enjoy sunlight became restive by extending their necks to look afar. According to procedure of Zhigungti, the corpse is placed on an “altar” followed by the reciting of sutras for about two minutes; a celestial burial master unfolds the funeral shroud and begins cutting the muscles of the corpse in different areas, and then the stomach. Finishing all of this work, he backs away and calls the vultures to come forth. But the scene of that day was far removed from the normal procedure. When the corpse was placed on the “altar” and the celestial burial master untied a corner of shroud, an unpleasant odor spread in the air and the vultures rushed forward. Two relatives held large sticks to drive them away, but even as one bird was driven off another would attack. The shouts of the celestial burial master had no effect. Those present could not help but back off and let the vultures feast. At the moment, however, a very humanistic thing occurred. One cinereous vulture immersed its head and body into the abdominal cavity of the corpse. The celestial burial master perhaps thought this was ridiculous and pulled the bird out by its tail and threw it on the grassland. It still attempted to go back inside. The celestial burial master simply held it, removed the blood off its head, tapped its head several times, and threw it outside.

Concerning the story of the vulture king the burial master Lhogar, who is 76 and still working in the Sera monastery, hits the mark with a single comment. Current celestial burial masters of the young generation make more money and friends and possess private cars. They have no patience with making friends with cinereous vultures and teaching them some rules. The masters trained the Kings Without training, the rules certainly do not exist any more, thus there are no Kings Cinereous Vultures Today

Cinereous vultures have a height of 0.8-1 meters. Their wingspan is 1.8-2 meters. They have round eyes and exposed skin on the neck, and squat on large rocks facing sun or high mountain slopes with white feathers quivering slightly...

Tibetans respect them, which is shown in a variety of forms by carving their image on Mani stones, painting them on doors, printing them on flying sutra streamers and drawing them on walls of monasteries...

During interviews for this article, I frequently saw some scenes of Tibetans taking care of cinereous vultures.

In Qamdo County, a person with esophageal cancer stayed in hospital for a long time. When he died, he was already very skinny. His relatives bought lots of beef and sent it together with the corpse to the celestial burial ground, explaining that the dead person was too skinny to feed the holy vulturesalone. They would soon take away the soul of the dead after they were glutted. I do not want to spend more ink on such rootless things, but the manner of fearing that the cinereous vultures are not fed enough and mixing corpse with beef to feed them is somewhat moving!

In the eyes of ordinary people, cinereous vultures are hard to get along with, but in eyes of celestial burial masters, they are friends, partners, or even...colleagues.

Raodain has been engaged in the job for 30 years. Over that time, the bulk of his contacts have been with cinereous vultures. He says they are like children that I have raised. The absence of them from my eyes for even one day makes me feel at a loss and restless. I take care of them everyday. I see them grow up. They bring young vultures to the celestial burial ground soon after they hatch. The young ones grow up day-by-day and the old ones age and disappear suddenly in a day. I am aging year by year too! The young celestial burial master Dawa very much favors a bird called the lameat the Sera Monastery Celestial Burial Ground. He says it originally had good legs. But, one day in mid-June of last year it was found crippled in one leg, probably caused by a trapper. I initially pitied it and gave it special care in feeding. Little did I think that we would become more and more attached day by day. At the end of a celestial burial, other vultures fly away, but the lamestill follows Dawa when he is cleaning the burial ground and is reluctant to leave.

Each summer, some young vultures will appear on different celestial burial grounds following their parents. Although they are as big as their parents, their innocence can be identified from their bright feather colors and quickly moving eyes. I was lucky to see such a scene.

As told by celestial burial masters, the number of cinereous vultures has seen a significant rise in the past two years. Before 1995, the Polungka celestial burial ground had only 170-odd birds, the Sera Monastery celestial burial ground less than 100, Zhigungti Celestial Burial Ground more than 300, and Deqen celestial burial ground more than 80. Now, Polungka owns about 350 vultures, Sera Monastery more than 130, Zhigungti, the most with 556, and Deqen 122.

Although cinereous vultures eat corpses and have certain immune ability against some viruses and bacteria, there is always something against which they cannot defend. The year before last, a person living near Lhasa Cement Factory died from eating a virulent rat killer. The dead person was sent to Polungka celestial burial ground and more than 100 vultures died from the poison. This accident greatly shocked the common people and celestial burial masters.

In fact, each conscientious celestial burial master will ask relatives of the dead for the causes of death. In case of infectious diseases or poisoning that may threaten the lives of cinereous vultures, the corpses certainly will be rejected. This has almost become an unwritten rule for celestial burial masters.

In the eyes of the Tibetan people, cinereous vultures are kings among birds and they are too holy to be violated. Nobody ever hurts them purposely. Thus, cinereous vultures can live freely on this land.

[Arrhenius]

The Tibetan race boasts unique rituals and customs and habits which they have developed in the long history of development. Exposed to a highly specific environment, and under the impact of living conditions and lifestyle, these rituals and customs and habits conform with the social tradition of the Tibetan race. Rituals here refer to those held to mark births, marriages and deaths.

(1) Birth Rituals

When one comes to the world, he/she will encounter the first ritual held to mark the birth. Prior to the Democratic Reform in 1959, the broad masses of women groaning under feudal serfdom enjoyed no personal freedom; instead, they were discriminated against. Although women in Bangjor Lhunbo village had one point of pride in: giving birth at home (which was not allowed in other Tibetan areas), they were denied of sufficient rest and rational care. Women nangzen slaves were given three days of maternity leave, and some rapeseed oil as a congratulation (the Pariha family did so to congratulate themselves on having one more laborer in the fliture). As nangzen slaves often lived in near destitution, they had no money to hold birth ceremonies for their newborn babies. In the village, nangzen children were not supplied with clothing and food before 13. After that, they had to toil like their parents.

After the Democratic Reform, the villagers enjoyed a new life. The situation improved with each passing day for pregnant women in terms of diet. However, they refrain from eating pienniu meat (pienniu is an offspnng of a bull and a female yak), believing this prolonged the pregnancy. Therefore, they turn to mutton, beef, chicken eggs and bone broth. When giving birth, many now go to county hospital or township clinic, which they are convinced is more hygienic. But giving birth at home still holds sway for many.

The birth ceremony is called Pangsai in Tibetan, with "pan" meaning fowls and "sai" cleaning away. The Tibetans believe newborn babies come to the world alongside fowls, and a ceremony should be held to wipe them out so that these babies would be able to grow healthily and mothers recover soon. Such rituals, evolved from a Bon religious ritual to worship the God, have been going on for more than 1,500 years. On the third day of the birth of boy (fourth day for a girl), households tied together through gyido association come for the rituals, bringing such gifts as qingke barley wine, buttered tea, meat, butter and clothing for the newborn. As soon as they enter the house, they present hada scarves to the baby's parents and then the baby. This is followed by toasting, presenting gifts, and examining the baby while offering good wishes. Some families throw in a pancake feast to entertain the visitors.

The newborn baby is not given a name until the end of the birth rituals. Generally, a Living Buddha or a prestigious senior villager is invited, but there are also cases when the baby is named by his/her parents. No matter who names the baby, the naming is performed in accordance with the will of the baby's parents for auspiciousness.

When the baby is one month old, a ritual is held on an auspicious day to take the baby out of the home. Before leaving, black ash taken from the pot bottom is used to blacken the baby's nose to ward off evil. Generally, the baby, donned in new clothes, is taken to the monastery for worshipping the Buddha and also for blessing.

(2) Wedding Ceremony

The wedding ceremony holds an important place in human existence. But in the past, Bangjor Lhunbo Village, controlled by the Parlha manorial lord, witnessed such a ceremony held for only a small number of tralpa serfs. As far as nangzen slaves were concerned, they could only dream. Two nangzens brought their belongings together, and that was all.

After the Democratic Reform in 1959, nangzen slaves gained a better life. This made it possible for their children to hold a wedding ceremony, and as time passed, these expanded in scale to match growing family strength. After the introduction of the reform and opening program in 1978, wedding ceremonies were definitely in vogue, sometimes lasting up to a dozen days.

While most young people in Bangjor Lhunbo village choose their own spouses, go-betweens still exist. But the young have the final say. When it is time for a young man to ask for the hand of a woman, an auspicious day is chosen. Both the young man and young woman are not supposed to appear, and members of the young man's family go to the female's family. The latter are given hada scarves, clothing or cloth materials, 50 kg of qingke barley, 50 kg of wheat, two or three kg of butter, mutton and three jars of qingke barley wine. The girl's parents are also given "milking money" and bangdian (aprons) as a token of sincere thanks for their bringing up the woman. The groom's family are responsible for the wedding feast. When the bride's family have prepared the feast, the groom's side will have to offer cash or some other form of thanks. As the courting happens when the male and female parties have agreed on marriage, the success rate is 100 percent. Both parties determine the auspicious date for holding the wedding ceremony. When the groom 5 side departs for home, the bride's family returns with hada scarves and gifts.

On the evening proceeding the wedding, the bride's side hold a farewell party for her. The groom's family sends a finely-decorated horse for her. If the two families live far apart, a horse-drawn cart, automobile or truck will be sent for the purpose. Generally speaking, there will be two or three people sent to greet the bride, bringing her and her family gifts including hada scarves, zanba cakes (roasted highland barley flour mixed with melted butter, powdered cheese and brown sugar, and shaped into square or round cakes), a front leg of mutton, clothing or clothing materials, and gift money. When the rituals are held, the bride sits in the middle. Flanking the bride are parents, other family members, relatives seeing the bride off, and people sent to greet the bride. When everyone is seated, the people sent to greet the bride present her with a piece of hada scarf and plant colorful arrows on her back. This is followed by gyido members of the family presenting hada scarves and gifts. By the end of the rituals, all drink and sing until next day.

The bride side transfers dowry or gifts prepared beforehand to people sent to greet the bride. They include valuable jewelers or daily necessities such as clothing, quilts, food grains, bicycles, sewing machines and other durables. On the morning of the next day, people sent to greet the bride support the bride out of her home at a time determined according to the result of divination, along with her dowry. At this point of time, there will be someone in the house of the bride holding colorful arrows and a milk kettle in one hand and lamb leg in the other and walking around to invite an inflow of money. He does so because legend has it that marrying one out invites loss of wealth.

The greeting4he-bride party proceeds under the leadership of one born in an auspicious year. Wearing white Tibetan robe, he holds the Eight Diagram Pattern. When coming across people who are fetching water or carrying materials on their backs, the party deems it a good omen, and will give them a small amount of money; when coming across those who are dumping garbage or carrying empty baskets, the party deem this to be a bad omen, likewise if it suddenly snows.

Prior to the arrival of the bride, the new house is beautifully adorned. Black and white stones are planted on both sides of the house, and a cushion is prepared for the bride to step off the vehicle. The cushion is stuffed with qingke barley, wheat and salt, and covered with five-color silk (tiger or leopard hide) painted with a swastika sign.

When the greeting party reaches the door, it lays a hada scarf on the white stone to the right of the door, and chants loudly: "Oh, for you! Thirty-nine towns, 99 slopes, bless us!" Then, the party moves to the black stone to the left of the door, and chants: "I am the reincarnation of the Buddha of 10 Places. Black eagle will be destroyed!" This is followed by knocking the black stone out.

After this, the party sings the praises of the cushion, door, dog and staircases of the host family. The newlyweds enter the room, sitting in the center. Around them sit the parents of the groom and relatives, members of families associated with the bridegroom's family through gyido relationship, and the marrying party. Members of the bride's side rise to sing praises of the Buddha shrines, Buddha statues, house pillars, wine jars and auspicious containers of the bridegroom's side, and present hada scarves to them.

The official ceremony is then held. Gyido members of the host family attend. Gifts presented include (no less than three jars of) qingke barley wine, (two to five lumps of) butter, (two to three cakes of) tea bricks, one whole-sheep of mutton (stuffed with 1-2 kg of wool), one bag (amounting to 40-50 kg) of qingke barley and one bag of wheat, gift money, clothing and cloth materials, plus hada scarves presented to the Buddha shrines, bridegroom, bride, both families, house pillars and wine jars. Gift-giving rituals take place over one or several days, and the duration of the wedding ceremony lasts three, five, seven or 10 days. Feasts are held during this period.

(3) Funerals

Tibetan Buddhists are preoccupied with the belief characteristic of a cycle of the previous, this and the next life. Therefore, a funeral, although tragic, is held to redeem the sins of the dead and bless his future. It is a link between death and life.

Tibetans hold funeral in a way different from others. Like other parts of Tibet, Bangjor Lhunbo Village adopts mainly the form of celestial burial. The body, wrapped up in white piece of cloth, is placed on an earthen cushion at the house corner. Buddhism holds that when the body is carried out of the house, its soul may not leave. When the earthen cushion is dismantled and thrown out of the house, the soul is taken away. Generally, the body stays in the house for three to five days before being moved out together with earthen cushion to a crossroads. When one dies in the village, members of other families mourn, bring with them a pot of wine apiece. When the body remains in the house, monks are invited to chant sin-redeeming sutras. When conditions permit, more than 100 butter lamps will bum.

Family of the dead hang one red pottery jar at the door. The jar mouth is adorned with wool or a white hada scarf, and inside the jar is burning zanba dough mixed with "three meat" (animal blood, meat and grease) and "three vegetables" (milk, cheese and butter). Within the first seven-week mourning period, family members refrain from combing their hair, washing the face, wearing any adornments, singing or dancing. Also during the period, no happy event is held within the family or at neighboring families.

The day before the dead person is moved out, neighboring families attend the mourning with Garmai Zundag, composed of one hada scarf, a handful of Tibetan incense, one sacrificial lamp and some money. People who maintain gyido ties with the dead have to bring with them other things including toiba seasonings cooked with zanba, milk dregs and butter. The funeral takes place very early in the day. One monk leads the way, followed by the body carried by the offspring. Others see the dead off from the door to far-away road, where one or two friends of the dead take the body to the celestial funeral ground. Kith and kin of the dead refrain from going to the ground.

During the first seven-week mourning period, monks are invited to chant sutras every seven days. In the fourth chanting, four to five monks are invited to burn incense to bless the dead to return to the world at an earlier date. In the seventh chanting, four monks are invited for Buddhist mass. During the day, relatives of the dead rinse their hair, wash their faces, make sacrifice to the Roof God, and replace the sutra streamers on the roof. All gyido come for the mass, bringing with them meat, butter, tea and wine. Over 100 butter lamps are burnt at home or in the monastery during the fourth and seventh chantings. Better-off families hold a mourning anniversary at home. By then, all gyido family members come with hada scarves, tea, wine, meat, butter and money. The host entertains them with food as a token of sincere thanks for their assistance over the past year.

cited from TibetCulture.net

[Arrhenius]

Presenting Hada

Present hada is a common practice among the Tibetan people to express their best wishes on many occasions, such as wedding ceremonies, festivals, visiting the elders and the betters, and entertaining guests. The white hada, made of grege silk, embodies purity and good fortune.

Proposing a Toast and Tea

Proposing a Toast and Tea When you come to a Tibetan family, the host will propose a toast, usually barley wine. You should sip three times and then drink up. To entertain guests with tea is a daily etiquette. The guest has not to drink until the host presents the tea to you.

Greetings

Greetings Don't forget to add "la"after saying hello to the Tibetan people to show respect . Make Way to others. Try not to make any sounds while eating and drinking.

Keeping away from Burials

Sky burial is a common form in Tibet. There are many prohibitions. Strangers are not allowed to attend the ceremony. Visitors should respect this custom and keep away from such occasions.

Tibetan Buddhism

Also known as the Lamaism, the Tibetan Buddhism was introduced to Tibet from the mainland and India in the seventh century. The Tibetan Buddhism consists of four major sects, the Ge-lug-pa(Yellow) Sect, the Nying-ma-pa(Red)Sec, the Saturday-kya-pa(Variegated) Sect, and the Ka-gyu-pa(White) Sect.

[Arrhenius]

For Tibetans, the kitchen range is holy, as it is under the rule of the Kitchen God and is home also to the daughter of the Dragon King.

In the days leading up to New Year’s Day, the Tibetans paint a scorpion (which is the incarnation of the daughter of the Dragon King), auspicious patterns and prayer words on the kitchen wall. Some rich families inlay coral and gems into the wall to pray for a thriving future. Some families bring out historic objects used by Living Buddhas and thus regarded as holy. They believe the stoves of this kind cook more delicious and healthier food. It was said that one family in Kangma still preserves an earthen stove used by Gar Tongtsan some 1,000 years ago.

The kitchen range in a monastery is huge mainly because the chefs have to cook food and tea for all the lamas. Monks believe food cooked with the range is tastier.



They have the following taboos:

--Burn nothing considered filthy, such as bones, droppings of dogs and cats, and hairs.

--Do not stand bare-footed and half naked when getting close to the stove for warmth, and do not walk across the stove, which would offend the kitchen god and the daughter of the dragon king.

Some Tibetan families follow strict rules, including that no fish should be cooked in the kitchen and the front living chambers (cooking and eating fish only in the courtyard); leaving no empty pot on the stove when not in use; and putting any remaining cooked food on the middle chamber of the stove. After camping in the wilderness, campers scatter zanba (roasted highland barley flour) over the embers of the fire. Some wives leave buttered tea made in the morning on the kitchen range as a token of first service to the god.

[Arrhenius]

Every ethnic minority has their special cultures and living-habits. Tibetans are an old and passionate ethnic minority. During the long history, Tibetan have formed their own living-habits and taboos.

1-When two friends meet again after a long separation, one's hand should not be put up on the other's shoulder.

2-Do not stride over or step on other people's clothes and put your clothes to others' hand. Do not strive over other people even more.

3-Women's clothes, especially trousers and underwears, are kept away from the places where people often passing through.

4-Do not whistle and cry aloud in room.

5-Do not sweep the floor or put off rubbish while families going out far away or guests leaving exactly, on the noon and the sunset, or on the first day in Tibetan calendar.

6-The strangers do not mention the dead people's name present at the dead people's family.

7-The work that should be finished in this year would not be left to the next year, such as twist wool, weave sweater and carpet etc.

8-At the dark, people do not go to others' room at random, especially the families, which have the pregnant woman or the heavy patient of grave disease.

9-After noon, do not take any belongings out.

10- Do not make a racket when you arrive at a mountain or canyon where is entirely strange to you.

11- Do not stride cross or step on the dining appliances, such as boilers, bowls and so on.

12- When two families want to go out with the reversed direction, they should not be at the same time. They should go out in turn and block off the times.

13- Women should not do up and wash their hair at night. They do not go out with hair disheveled,too.

14.-When using besom and dustpan, do not pass them by hand directly. You should put them down on the floor and the other people pick them up again.

15- When relatives and friends drop round or look in you with ghee or Qing Ke, you should leave a little or exchange some for guests. Do not empty out when guests leave.

16- Do not use the jagged or rimose bowl in dinner and do not use them for guests.

[MITTibetForum]

Greetings

When two friends meet again after a long separation, one's hand should not be put up on the other's shoulder. When you express your respect to somebody, generally, you should add "Ra" attached his name. Tibetan consists of honorific and non-honorific languages. Using honorific talking with respecter and guest shows your respect. When you walk on the road, you should not go across other passerbys and, when encountering, you should give precedence to others out of courtesy. Additionally, in a dinner, you should not eat too much each time and do not make noise when biting or drinking.



Present Hadas

Present hadas is a general ceremony in Tibet. People present hadas while wedding, mourning or celebrating; present hadas when having an audience with respects and praying on the religious forms; present hadas when sending off friends, and so on. Hada is a kind of raw silk that spins sparsely like net. Another kind of hada is made with excellent silk. Hada is often 3 to 5 Chi or 1 to 2 Zhang in length. Presenting hadas expresses heartedness and loyalty. From of old, Tibetan regards white as the symbol of chastity and fortune. So hada is always white. Certainly there are multicolored hadas, such as blue, white, yellow, green and red. Blue means sky, white means cloud, green means rivers, red means divinity and yellow means earth. The multicolored hadas are made to Cai Jian, which are the best ceremonious gifts showing up to Bodhisattva and close relatives. The Doxy of Buddhism explains the multicolored hadas are the costume of Bodhisattva. So they are used on the special occasions. Hadas were introduced to Tibet in Yuan Dynasty. When Baciba-Saqia Fawang met with Hubilie-the first Emperor of Yuan Dynasty, he fetched a hada back to Tibet. At that time, both sides of hadas were the design of the Great Wall and the middle writed Ji Xiang Ru Yi (Good fortune as wishes), so we can say hadas are introduced to Tibet from backland. Subsequently, people attached the hadas the religion explanation, said they are the streamers of fairy.

Toast

Tibetans are all hospitable. When Tibetans play hosts to guests by Qing Ke (which is a kind of wine made of highland barley), they fill the wine holding to the guest. The guest should take in both hands, then raise the wineglass by right hand, and using the third finger in left hand trending into the glass, dipping wine lightly and flicking to the sky. That means heavenly-mindedness. And he should flick twice, flick the third, and those mean terra-respectfulness and Buddha-espectfulness. This kind of traditional custom tells people the derivation of Qing Ke is connected nearly with the benefaction of the sky, the terra and Buddha. So before drinking, people should toast the deity. There is a custom as the following established usage when drinking: first, guests should drink a little and the host fills in soon; guests drink a little again and the host fills in once more; the third the same as the before. When the glass is filled in the third times, guests should quaff them all. Only in this way, the host feels respected. The guests drink more, the host will be much happy because of his excellent wine brewing. When toasting to male guest, Tibetans always use dock-glass or big bowl; to female guest, they always use cannikin or small bowl. When drinking tea, the guests should wait for the cup held toward to himself and he drinks. If not, he will be considered as disrespectful.

Cited from TibetCulture.net