Shoton Festival – Xizang's Yogurt Feast Celebration

The Shoton Festival is an important traditional festival for the Tibetan people. It is celebrated on the first day of the seventh month in the Tibetan calendar, which is when the Lhasa Shoton Festival takes place.

Shoton means yogurt banquet. In Tibetan, sho means yogurt, and ton means to eat. So literally, the Shoton Festival is a festival for eating yogurt. Because the festival features Tibetan opera performances and Buddha unveiling ceremonies, it is also known as the Tibetan Opera Festival and the Buddha Unveiling Festival.

The Shoton Festival originated in the mid-11th century. Before the 17th century, it was primarily a religious observance associated with Tibetan Buddhism. In May 2006, it was included in the first batch of China's National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

The traditional Shoton Festival begins with the Grand Buddha Unveiling Ceremony as its opening act. The core activity is the display of giant thangka Buddha images, which are typically made of cloth, silk, or wool, and painted with natural pigments such as turquoise, coral, and gold powder. In the following days, the main activities shift to Tibetan opera performances, public garden parties, and lively yak racing and equestrian shows.

The Shoton Festival serves as a concrete way to pass on Tibetan culture and enrich the cultural life of the people. It plays a positive role in preserving the uniqueness of ethnic culture, strengthening ethnic unity, and safeguarding the world's cultural diversity.