Herdsman in Damxung County castrating lamb by sterilized scissors, photo taken on June 19, Xinhua

With sterilized scissors, Riba, a local herdsman in Damxung County in north Tibet castrated a lamb at a lamb castration festival on June 19. After castration, the animal is blessed with butter spotted on its forehead and lips.

The festival is a traditional ritual to worship the animal and wish a prosperous life on north Tibet pasture.

"This is a important festival held by us folks on the pasture for thousands of years", said Riba.

The annual festival is held when the north Tibet pasture begins to turn green, and falls in late spring, a season the folks considered a time of luck and also would help castrated lambs from infection.