During Losar or Lo sar, Tibetan New Year, preparation, you would not need to travel far to learn much about the festival and to perceive a variety of cultural expressions. Every family displays a visual feast without realizing it. Today, I’m sharing my observations during a 5-minute walk from one family to another, passing our […]
UPDATED with more details about Losar, July 2, 2016. It’s exciting to be back home in Rebgong (Reb gong, Tongren)—the home still nearest and dearest to my heart, even after making a new home in the West. Returning to my roots for Losar, the Lunar New Year, is special. Traditionally, Losar falls on the first […]
The ultimate time of gift giving—the season of Christmas celebration in the West—reminds me of my traditions on the Tibetan plateau. Almost all Tibetans, who live in the high mountains, deep valleys, and on grasslands, practice Buddhism. Giving or offering is a large part of our culture, and its meaning deepens when referring to […]
July turned to August. My departure for the West was fast approaching. And my cousins had yet to practice a long-lived tradition in that neck of woods – Rebgong. A Tibetan custom, you are invited to a scrumptious meal, if you’ve returned from a journey, worked or studied a distance away, completed a long period […]
A day on the grassland with my paternal family—the biggest family reunion I’ve ever attended. Fifty-six families, 180 people total, from two distinctive worlds (agricultural and nomadic), joined together on Mgar-tse’s grassland in Rebgong, Amdo region. They included farmers, animal herders, educators from elementary school to university, small business owners, doctors, students of all […]
