Kongpo New Year celebrated in Nyingchi of southeast Tibet[Photo/China Tibet News]

Kongpo New Year is Tibet’s earliest New Year and when converted into the Gregorian calendar it starts on Nov.11, which is the 30th of the ninith month on the Tibetan calendar, and finishes on Nov. 27, China Tibet News reported.

Each area of Tibet celebrates New Year differently, due to differences in the natural environment and social customs. After Kongpo New Year there is also Shigatse’s Farmer New Year and Ngari’s Purang New Year. Finally, there is Tibetan New Year, which is celebrated by the whole of Tibet.

Kongpo New Year celebrated in Nyingchi of southeast Tibet[Photo/China Tibet News] 

The people of Nyingchi use traditional methods to welcome Kongpo New Year, such as exorcism and sacrificing the "Harvest Goddess", amongst others. On New Year’s Eve, when the firecrackers go off, everyone runs into each room holding up pine torches. They then pound the corner of the room with thumb-sized black and white stones in order to drive out bad luck.

At Kongpo New Year, apart from the essential folk customs of sacrifice, circling the farm and changing prayer flags, there is also the following cultural entertainment: shooting whistling arrows, carrying stones and jumping pots. The whole village, young and old jump together, singing loud and clear, creating a very lively and spectacular scene.

Kongpo New Year celebrated in Nyingchi of southeast Tibet[Photo/China Tibet News] 

The essential foods of Kongpo New Year include "Bajie", which are basically fried noodles. The people of Lhasa call it "Kasai" and it’s similar to "Sanzi" eaten in the North. Secondly, there is "Jieda", which is a type of cheese made by using butter, milk residue and sugar or salt. It is roasted over the fire using a stick, the same way as cooking glutinous rice cakes. There is also delicious, freshly killed Tibetan pig and yak meat, as well as blood sausage. They also eat Tibetan dumplings filled with beef and potato, cooked over a stove so that the outside is crispy and inside fresh. They have no trouble eating eight to ten of these in one sitting.