FILE Nº 0058 · Culture · DECLASSIFIED
Why Go to Tibet: The Shoton Festival, Buddhism on the Roof of the World, with The Wild Chronicles
TL;DR — In Tibet's rainy season, insects and small animals swarm out, and to avoid trampling them, Tibetan monks stay in their monasteries.
...In the rainy season in "Tibet", insects and small creatures come out in great numbers. To avoid trampling them, Tibetan monks, or "lamas", stay in their monasteries for a period to meditate and study scripture, much like the "Buddhist Lent" (khao phansa).
When the lamas return to their normal religious duties, much like the "end of Buddhist Lent", Tibetans make "yogurt" to offer to the lamas and celebrate with great fanfare. This became the "Shoton Festival", which means "yogurt banquet".
The Wild Chronicles invites you to experience an atmosphere of "faith" by joining the Shoton Festival, held on a grand scale in the city of Lhasa, where villagers and Tibetan monks work together to carry a "thangka", a huge cloth image of the Buddha, up the mountain and unfurl it to meet the morning sun, as tens of thousands of people from all directions come to pay homage.
This special trip can't wait! We depart 20-27 August 2025! "Tibet", the land on the roof of the world, is full of the charm of religion, culture and magnificent nature, a destination you should visit.
Let's see why you should go to "Tibet": the Shoton Festival, Buddhism on the Roof of the World with The Wild Chronicles?
When it comes to charming and mysterious places, "Tibet" is one of the lands many travelers dream of visiting, not only for its beautiful scenery but also for its distinctive culture, religion and festivals, which are hard to find anywhere else in the world.
In the past, Tibet was a mysterious land because it lies on the Tibetan Plateau, the highest plateau in the world, averaging 4,000 meters above sea level, and earning the nickname "Roof of the World". This made it difficult to reach and isolated from the outside world for a long time.
Tibetan culture and traditions therefore developed in a unique way, little affected by outside influence. Originally, Tibetans followed "Bon", the indigenous religion, but when Buddhism spread into Tibet, the Tibetan people adopted the new religion deeply and widely, until it became not just the national religion but also an important part of Tibetan culture and way of life for a very long time.
Tibetan Buddhism is neither "Theravada" nor "Mahayana" but "Vajrayana", also called "Tantra", with four major schools: Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug.
Tibet was also once a religious land whose political and spiritual leader was a monk, the "Dalai Lama", whose position passes on through reincarnation, which allowed Buddhism in Tibet to flourish. Even though Tibet came under Chinese rule, Buddhism in Tibet remains strong and is an important identity of this land.
The highlight of this trip is a grand festival called the "Shoton Festival", held every year after Tibetan monks, or "lamas", finish their "Buddhist Lent". In Tibet's rainy season, insects and small creatures come out in great numbers, so to avoid trampling living beings, the lamas stay in their monasteries for as long as 15 days.
After they resume their normal religious duties, Tibetans bring fresh "yogurt" to offer to the lamas and celebrate with great fanfare, which became the "Shoton Festival", meaning "yogurt banquet".
At the Shoton Festival, Tibetans, both villagers and monks, work together to carry a huge "thangka", a cloth image of the Buddha, up the mountain with the strength of faith, and unfurl it to meet the sun. After that, Tibetans gather with their families and watch folk performances.
Our journey also takes you to a highlight of Tibet, the "Potala Palace", a sacred place for Tibetans that was the winter residence of the Dalai Lama from 1649 to 1959. The name Potala comes from Mount Potalaka, the abode of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
The palace was begun in the reign of King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century and rebuilt under the 5th Dalai Lama. It is the most famous fortress-style (dzong) architecture in Tibet and so beautiful that it is hailed as "the crown jewel of Tibetan architecture". Potala is also the highest-altitude palace in the world, at 3,700 meters above sea level, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
Pay homage at "Jokhang Temple", the most sacred ancient temple for Tibetans. Its architecture blends Indian, Tang-dynasty Chinese and Nepalese art perfectly. Inside is enshrined the "Jowo Shakyamuni", a large Buddha statue about 1.5 meters tall, held in the highest reverence by Tibetans, who often come to pray and pay respect to it with full-body prostrations, a Tibetan hallmark. Jokhang Temple was also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
We also travel to three major monasteries of the Gelug school: Drepung, Sera and Ganden. The Gelug school is a new but great one, because the Mongol khan of that era revered the Gelug lama and gave him the title of Dalai Lama, supreme religious leader, which let the Dalai Lama hold power over Tibet as well.
Watch the folk performance "Ache Lhamo", or "Tibetan Opera", whose content is mostly tales from Buddhist scriptures, the lives of important figures, and events in Tibetan history. Lhamo is thus an example of the crystallization of Tibetan cultural wisdom over a thousand years, praised as a "living fossil" and recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.
We will also go to "Phyirmil Lung Nunnery", the largest nunnery in Tibet, near the city of Lhasa. This nunnery is quiet and peaceful, a gathering place for women practitioners devoted to Buddhist study and ritual, where you can observe the nuns' practice and learn about Tibetan Buddhist traditions in depth.
Then pay homage at "Tsurphu Monastery", the monastery of the "Karmapa", leader of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, also called the Black Hat school, of the Karma Kagyu lineage. This monastery holds many rare relics and is also the starting point of the "Tulku" concept, the reincarnation of lamas to succeed to the leadership of the clergy, which other schools later adopted until it became part of Tibetan Buddhism.
Tibet also has beautiful nature, such as "Namtso Lake", the highest saltwater lake in the world at 4,718 meters above sea level. Its name means "Heavenly Lake" in Tibetan, because its clear water sparkles so that it looks as beautiful as heaven.
This lake is one of Tibet's sacred lakes. Around it lie heaps of "mani" stones in various shapes, which Tibetans like to stack as offerings, giving the lake a dense religious atmosphere.
Finally, we'd like to recommend our tour "Tibet: The Shoton Festival, Buddhism on the Roof of the World". This is a special route designed to let you experience Tibet in depth through its grand festival and its important sights.
Don't miss this special new trip! Departing 20-27 August 2025, traveling with "Khun Pup", owner of The Wild Chronicles page, who will take you to discover new knowledge in places hiding a great deal of "the extraordinary".
Get a different experience and feel a new atmosphere you may never have tried. If you are interested and would like the program, contact 082-894-8444, 089-927-6446 or add our LINE OA at @thewildchronicles (type @ in front) and type "Interested in the Tibet tour", or press the "Book Tour" button.
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