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Lhasa celebrates Shoton Festival by feasting

17:18, August 25, 2009

The Norbu Lingka is full with people

Celebration for Lhasa Shoton Festival is going on in full blast in the Norbu Lingka, the former residence of Dalai Lamas, along with the process of Lhasa Beer Festival.

Lhasa Beer Festival, which started on August 20 to highlight the Shoton Festival, gives great pleasure to locals besides Tibetan opera performance. Tibetan people celebrated Shoton Festival by feasting all day.

During the Shoton Festival, people in Norbu Lingka consume 5,000 to 6,000 cases of beer every day, according to Mgr. Wang of Lhasa Beer Company

"People come much early than we begin to work," Mgr. Wang said. "The number of tourists, sales amount and gifts given on-the-spot, double that in the previous year."

Each bottle recycle bin in Norbu Lingka can collect about 1,000 empty wine bottlesb every day.

Losang Chodron, who opens a food stand in Norbu Lingka, told the journalist he wished the Shoton Festival could last forever. "I bet we are much happier than the nobles in old Tibet, despite the fact that they are much richer than us."

She said he would like to share her happiness with her son, who works in Ngari, by sending him photos.

Moreover the admission charge for Norbu Lingka is three yuan for local farmers and herdsmen, much lower than urban citizens and tourists.

Source: China Tibet Information Center