The main food in Tibet in winter is meat. Famous local snacks include Shouzhua Yangrou (mutton eaten with the hands), roasted sheep intestines and dried meat.

Festivals falling in winter time
Winter is a festive season in Tibet. For Tibet winter travelers, festival celebrations are another attraction. So here is a list of Tibetan festivals that fall in winter.

Tibetan New Year celebrations. [Photo by baidu.com]

*Gongbu Festival, Nyingchi
Falling on October 1 according to the Tibetan calendar (in November or December according to the Gregorian calendar), this festival is celebrated to commemorate soldiers dying in wars protecting Tibetans from invaders in the old days. Activities include dancing, horseracing and fair markets.

*Xiannv Festival (fairy festival)
Also called the Tianmu Festival (heaven mother festival), the Xiannv Festival falls on October 15 according to the Tibetan calendar and is considered the festival for Tibetan women. Religious celebrations are held throughout Tibet.

*Randeng Festival (lamp lighting festival)
Falling on October 25 according to the Tibetan calendar, the Randeng Festival is celebrated to commemorate a great Tibetan reformer, Zongkaba. Celebration activities include lighting ghee lights and singing religious songs.

*Qugui Festival (ghost driving festival)
Falling on December 29 according to the Tibetan calendar, the Qugui Festival is celebrated to welcome the New Year. Grand Tiaoshen activities such as praying for good fortune the next year and household cleanings are held.

*Zanglinian (Tibetan new year)
Falling on January 1 according to the Tibetan calendar, Zanglinian is the most important festival in Tibet. People start preparing for Zanglinian at the beginning of December according to the Tibetan calendar. People prepare tsamba, fried kernels and Renshenguo (a kind of tonic fruit in Tibet). On New Year's Eve, people present the prepared food to images of Buddha. On the first day of the New Year, the first thing to do is to take a barrel of water home from the river, the first barrel of water in the new year is lucky water. On the second day, relatives and friends begin to visit each other.

*Suyou Huadenghui (ghee lamp festival)
Falling on January 15 according to the Tibetan calendar, Suyou Huadenghui is celebrated by monastery worship in the daytime and the Barkhor Street lamp festival at night. There will be shelves of lamps representing various colorful images such as gods, birds, flowers and trees. Tourists can also enjoy a puppet show.

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