Sho Dun Festival

Buddhist festival

Sho Dun Festival

Also called	Shoton Festival, Yogurt Festival, Banquet
Observed by	Tibetans, Bhutanese, Nepalese, Monpa
Type	Tibetan culture, Tibetan Buddhist
Frequency	Annual

Tibetan Buddhism
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Key personalities First dissemination Padmasambhāva Śāntarakṣita Kamalaśīla Songtsen Gampo Trisong Detsen Ralpacan Second dissemination Atiśa Talika Abhayakirti Niguma Sukhasiddhi Milarepa Nyingma Yeshe Tsogyal Longchenpa Jigme Lingpa Patrul Rinpoche Dudjom Lingpa Mipham Kagyu Marpa Rangjung Dorje Jonang Dolpopa Taranatha Sakya Sakya Pandita Gorampa Bodongpa Samding Dorje Phagmo Gelugpa Je Tsongkhapa 5th Dalai Lama 13th Dalai Lama 14th Dalai Lama 10th Panchen Lama
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Major monasteries Tradruk Drepung Dzogchen Ganden Jokhang Kumbum Labrang Mindrolling Namgyal Narthang Nechung Pabonka Palcho Ralung Ramoche Rato Sakya Sanga Sera Shalu Tashi Lhunpo Tsurphu Yerpa
Institutional roles Dalai Lama Panchen Lama Lama Karmapa Rinpoche Geshe Tertön Tulku Western tulku
Festivals Chotrul Duchen Dajyur Galdan Namchot Losar Dosmoche Monlam Sho Dun Losoong
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The Sho Dun Festival (Tibetan: ༄༅། ཞོ་སྟོན།; Chinese: 雪頓節; pinyin: Xuědùn Jié), commonly known as the Shoton^[1] or Yogurt Festival^[2] or Banquet^[3] since "Sho" means Yogurt and "Dun" means Banquet, is an annual festival held at Norbulingka or "Jewel Park" palace in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region.

The festival is celebrated in the summer, from the 15th to the 24th of the 5th lunar month - usually about the middle of August, after a month's retreat by the monks who stay within their monasteries to avoid walking on the emerging summer insects and killing them.

It began in the 11th century with a banquet given by the laypeople for the monks featuring yogurt. Later on, summer operas, or Lhamo, and theatricals were added to the festivities.^[4] The operas, "last all day with clashing cymbals, bells and drums; piercing recitatives punctuating more melodious choruses; hooded villains, leaping devils, swirling girls with long silk sleeves. In the past, dancers came from all over Tibet, but today there is only the state-run Lhasa Singing and Dancing Troupe."^[5]

References

^ Service, Tribune News. "2 years on, Dalai Lama grants special audience to Tibetans". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
^ "Yogurt festival celebrated in Tibet - China.org.cn". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
^ "Traditional Yogurt Festival kicks off in China's Tibet - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
^ "25th Tibetan opera festival begins in Dharamshala". Phayul. 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
^ Catriona Bass. Inside the Treasure House: A Time in Tibet. 1990. Victor Gollancz Ltd. paperback reprint. Rupa & Co. New Delhi, p. 201