meeting the buddha at midnight:
a new year tradition in lhasa

This article originally appeared on China Tibet Online’s website on 15/02/2015

Editor’s Note: With the Tibetan New Year – Losar – coming up soon, Tibet University foreign student Rebecca reflected on her previous experiences welcoming in the New Year in Lhasa.

At midnight we left the university campus, dressed as warmly as we could against the cold night. Midnight marked the start of the new Tibetan year - the year of the horse - and we decided to welcome it in as locals do by visiting the Jokhang temple in the early hours of the morning. 

Walking quickly warmed us up, so that by the time we reached the Barkhor we were no longer shivering. However, the sight of the long queue made us shudder - it wrapped around the whole Barkhor like a snake and then wound down Yutog Lam and onto Jiangsu Lu (the main road to the south of the old town). We joined our friends at the end of the line and the waiting game began. 

We started off fine, chatting and singing and laughing and ignoring how tired we felt. But as the hours wore on it became harder and harder to keep our energy up. 

Two hours after joining the queue we made it into the Jokhang square. Finally we felt like we were making progress even though we still had to get around the whole Barkhor. Our legs and backs were aching, our feet were cold, and our bellies were hungry. 

Three and a half hours after joining the queue (now 3:45am) we made it to the front door of the Jokhang temple at last, but we still had to get in and through to see the holy Jowo Sakyamuni image. We perked up a bit in excitement at finally being inside the Jokhang and being able to see the sacred image - the most important statue in Lhasa.

We were pushed and squeezed through, and given our ten seconds in front of the statue, before being carried by the flow of people back outside into the cold. Four hours after joining the queue we finally had open space in front of us again. It was now 4:15am but pilgrims were still rushing to join the end of the line - the queue would be never-ending for most of the first day of Losar. Meanwhile my friends and I were so tired we could barely think of anything but getting home to our warm beds. 

Our new year was started as locals, among a sea of pilgrims in the early hours of the morning at one of the holiest sites in Tibet. I’ll be sure to go again to welcome in the sheep year, but I think this time I’ll try to be as prepared as the people around me with hot tea and snacks to keep me going through the cold.

Editor’s Note: The writer, Rebecca, is a foreign student at Tibet University in Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, where she studies Tibetan language and culture.