Litang Horse Festival
Tibetan people visit from far away and set tents to sit for the fiesta and loosen up in the antiquated dancing shows.
The Litang Horse Festival is a summer horse celebration held in Litang County, which lies in the Garze area of the Sichuan region in China. At around 4,000 meters above ocean level, it is perhaps the highest town in the world.
Khampas from the Tibetan Plateau come here to trade, celebrate and ride the horses. Khampas are Tibetan nomads and are typically herders. The celebration, featuring horse races on Tibetan ponies, is held from August 1-7. The horse celebration is noteworthy as it assists with building up the financial chain of importance in Khampas. Respect and distinction is set on who claims the best horse.
Called “the ethnic corridor of China”, Sichuan represents a rich assorted variety of traditions. Extravagantly dressed Khampa women enhance their hair with beads of coral and silver. Khampa men keep their hair long and fold it over their heads, with red tassles.
Circum Navigators
During celebrations, the customary dress of the Tibetans is taken to another level when the locales embellish themselves with extensive measures of golden, coral and turquoise adornments. Some men dress in fur.
Kham is home to a large number of Buddhist monks and nuns who walk koras, chant, spin prayer wheels and pray each day.
The Tibetan people visit from far away and set tents to sit for the fiesta and loosen up in the antiquated dancing shows. In the racing celebrations, the valiant riders show the crowd their abilities of speed riding, shooting, picking scarlet on the quick running horseback, and so on.
Litang County is in the high heaps of the Tibetan Plateau. The height of the valley, where the rivalries occur, is an exceptionally high 4,000 meters or 13,200 feet, yet the vast majority of the zone is significantly higher mountains. The population is low, and there are just around 70,000 people in the region. It is an extraordinary spot to discover incredible landscape and intriguing customs.
Globe Trotting
The valley is an incredible spot to take a walk during summer time. The most exciting thing to watch is the horse back tricks that the youngsters do. They hang topsy-turvy or pick things up, and once in a while, a pony falls. The main race is more than a few kilometres-long, that tires the horses extraordinarily. Some stunts include firing guns from horseback.
Apart from the Tibetans camping and fashion shows, there are Buddhist services. Tibetan food can be purchased alongside Tibetan spices and crafted works while watching the sports.
Wind Horse Tour
Litang Monastery is on the north side of the town. It was made in 1580 to pay tribute to the third Dalai Lama (Sonam Gyatso 1543-1588). The Litang Horse Racing Festival was a part of the celebrations of the monastery. Pulverized in 1956 by the red gatekeepers, most structures of the Litang Monastery have as of late been remade.
The horse celebration is on the beautiful Maoya Grassland along the Sichuan-Tibet National Road. Many travel from remote places only for the occasion and remain for all days of the celebrations, setting up their tents around the meadow. Some people set up stalls, selling margarine tea, noodles, or cotton sweets. As the day slows down, with a gathering dance, it is an exceptional opportunity to watch deep-rooted social customs in the entirety of brilliance.