Brief Introduction - Tibet

Geography OF TIBET 

Located in the southwest frontier of the People's Republic of China, Tibet Autonomous Region has an area of over 1.2 million square kilometers., which makes up one-eighth of the total national area, only second to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. With the average elevation of over 4,000 meters, Tibet is the plateau region with the largest space and the highest sea level in the world, which is dubbed "the World Ridge" and "the Third Pole on the Globe". Tibet is contiguous to Xinjiang Uygur autonomous Region and Qinghai Province by the Kunlun and the Tanggula Mountains on the north, looks at Sichuan Province across the Jinsha River on the east, is connected with Yunnan Province on the southeast, borders Burmese, India, Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal and Kashmir. With nearly 4,000 kilometers land boundary line, it is China's southwest barrier. 
 
Climate OF TIBET 

The climate in Tibet is unique and complicated. Generally speaking, the air here is thin, lower pressure with low oxygen. The sun is strong and sunshine time is long. Temprature here varies greatly between day and night. There is great difference in the climate between the northern and southern Tibet.

Influenced by the humid air current from the Indian Ocean, a number of valleys in the south of Tibet have warm climate with great rainfall. The average temperature is about 8°c. the lowest temperature drop to -16°c. the highest temperature in those months comes up to 16°c. The raining season is between May to September.

In the north of Tibet, it has a typical continental climate. The average temperature drops below 0°c, the freezing season lasts half of the year. Its highest temperature in July can’t rise to 10°c. More rainfall in the night during the raining season and strong wind in winter. The whole year in Tibet can be divided into two different seasons; the dry season and the raining season from May and September.

History OF TIBET 

Before the 7th century, there were many tribes in Tibet. Wars broke out as the tribes tried to scramble for their domains. Among them, the Tubo tribe owned a large number of lands at its flourishing period in Yarlung. The earliest capital city of Tubo was in today’s Nedong County in Lhoka. In the early 7th century, Songtsan Gampo, the son of Namri Songtsen, inherited the power, he completed his father’s cause and realized the unification of the Tibet plateau and set up the central slave regime-the Tubo Kingdom. 

Festival OF TIBET 

The first day of the first month in Tibetan calendar is the Royal New Year that is in February or March according to the Gregorian calendar. This is an important festival of the year for Tibetans. At the beginning of the twelveth month in Tibetan calendar, Tibetans start to prepare the holiday gifts including the "Auspicious Bushel" which is filled with barley flour mixed with butter and fried wheat and ginseng. On the top of the barley flour is inserted the highland barley ears, the cockscomb and the colored flower plat made of butter. Early on the New Year day’s morning, Tibetans, men and women, dressed in their hosliday best carry it in hand to exchange New Year’s greetings and the good wishes to each other, saying "Tashi Delek" which means auspicious or luck. After these few days, they also go to the monasteries nearby to worship Buddha, or sing and dance on the streets, or go to visit their relatives and friends for drinking to their heart’s content to enjoy the New Year together. Everyone is intoxicated with spirit of the festival. 
 
Custom OF TIBET 

The birth ceremony is called Pangsai in Tibetan, with "pan" meaning fowls and "sai" cleaning away. The Tibetans believe newborn babies come to the world alongside fowls, and a ceremony should be held to wipe them out so that these babies would be able to grow healthily and mothers recover soon. Such rituals, evolved from a Bon religious ritual to worship the God, have been going on for more than 1,500 years. On the third day of the birth of boy (fourth day for a girl), households tied together through gyido association come for the rituals, bringing such gifts as qingke barley wine, buttered tea, meat, butter and clothing for the newborn. As soon as they enter the house, they present hada scarves to the baby's parents and then the baby. This is followed by toasting, presenting gifts, and examining the baby while offering good wishes. Some families throw in a pancake feast to entertain the visitors.