Analysis Of The Evolution Of The Lhasa Area Festivals And Its Cultural Meaning

Festival as a comprehensive culture is both a stage performance and a spiritual bridge for understanding an ethnic culture. General festivals are held in certain seasons all over the world; however, the meanings are all-encompassing. Particularly, some major festivals are not only comprehensive reflections of the political, economic, production and daily life, but also of culture, arts, social communication, and national psychology. Tibetan people are cheerful, heroic, and good at dancing and singing. As for Tibet, we have more than one festival averagely in each month. Some last two days, and some, ten days. In different regions, there are many different unique regional festivals. Especially, Lhasa as a center of politics, economy, and culture in Tibet, has its own unique and representative festivals.A Study of Festive Folk Customs in Lhasa Area, as a title of the thesis, analyses not only the different festive folk customs, characteristics, origins and historical development, but also the intention and function of the festive folk customs in Lhasa. This minor thesis is divided into four chapters:Chapter I gives a brief introduction and making differentiates the types of the festive folk customs in Lhasa. In order to analyze the current characteristics of festive folk customs in Lhasa, the author analyzes in more detail the meaning of festive folk customs. Festive folk customs are a gradual accumulation and cultural treasures of all ethnic groups. Since the festive folk customs are the storage for the preservation of the cultural heritage such as folk beliefs, folk literature, folk arts and astrology. In a certain sense, we can say that is an encyclopedia of various folk cultural phenomenons. As a historical place within thousand-year history, Lhasa, its traditional festive folk customs have distinctive features. It is gradually improving in the course of long historical development and evolution.The contents of Lhasa festival are rich and varied; they are divided into ten different types. They consist of offering, farming, memory, celebration, social communication, plays and so forth. But, according to its nature and goal, the author put all them into four main types: the religious festival, the productive festival, the social communication festival, and the seasonal festival. No matter what kind of festivals, they all are related closely to the culture, national consciousness of (including worldview, social concept, beliefs and aesthetics, etc.)) the people of Tibet.Chapter II analyzes the festive folk customs variability and its causes in the process of origin, development, and evolution of the festivals of Lhasa area. The initial formation of general festive folk customs is closely related to ancient world view, cosmology, and ancient astronomy.There are multi-reasons for the formation of festive folk customs, sometimes it is extremely complicated. The essay describes the reason of festivals through the initial choice and religious belief, worship and seasons. In the course of a long historical process, the development of festive folk customs gradually became the sediment of history and culture. Surely, it is also caused by many other factors, such as Social, political, economic, war, science and technology and so forth.In short, as for the Lhasa festive folk customs from the day they formed, changed, and etc., without any exceptions, all were greatly influenced by Buddhism, and Bonism and upper rulers of different societies.Chapter III focuses on festive folk customs in Lhasa which include performances of Tibetan Drama, gorgeous costumes, and a variety of culinary culture. Furthermore, the article describes the function of festive customs on the basis of folklore. Since reform and opening up, festive customs have gradually been influenced by both inland China and overseas.In order to have a correct perspective to see clearly the functions, and main points of the festive folk customs, we need to understand how Tibet's cultural festivals influence people's life while we enjoy the festivals. As everybody knows, festival is a platform for showing an ethnic culture, as well as an ethnic identity and cohesion.Chapter IV introduces future development trends of Lhasa festive folk customs. There are natural close relationship between Lhasa festive folk customs and tourism, their interdependence and mutual influence. On one hand, festive folk custom activities are an opportunity for concentrated display of an ethnic culture.On the whole, the festive culture is a key to develop an ethnic tourism. In order to create a harmonious society of Lhasa, the author analyzes the relationship between tourism and the status of current festive folk customs in Lhasa. Thus, it is worth to research and focus the festive folk customs for developing both material and spiritual development of Tibet.