Every summer, the Shaman Festival is held in Rebkong / Tongren in Qinghai Province, traditionally in the region of Amdo Tibet. This important ceremony honors the local mountain god and requests that he bestows good health on the villagers and a successful harvest on the community.
Girls wearing traditional clothes with precious stone jewelry on Shaman Festival
All of the local villagers participate in the ceremony: women dance, men beat drums, boys perform dramas, and girls show their traditional dress of the region. The festival is lively and colorful, with everyone dressed in colorful robes. The local mountain god is invited to join the ceremony, and shaman serves as his medium.
villagers performing Shaman Dance with masks in Tongren / Rebkong
In the beginning of the festival all villagers made offering to the locals mountain gods. They will climb up to the mountain behind respective village, perform ritual dances and offer sang (natural incense made from juniper and barley flour), throwing lungta (“wind horse”, colorful papers, which represent good luck and life force) to the air, loudly chanting mantras and prayers. This activities are the same for all the villages in Rebkong / Tongren area.
A boy from one of the village in Rebkong performing Shaman Dance.
However, the rest of the activities differ from one village to another. For example, Sakyi Village’s highlight is Sang Offering and traditional dress show. This is a great opportunity for taking portrait photographs and watch girls with big precious stone jewelries
One of the local girl’s hair decoration during Shaman Festival in Rebkong / Tongren
Few of the highlights of Shaman Festival:
One of the highlight of the Shaman Festival is Shaman Dance, all the villagers join together in a circle ritual dance. One man with a long braid emerged from the temple, shaking and moving uncontrollably. As a oracle, he served as a medium for the mountain god.
villagers performing Shaman Dance with piercing on the back and cheek in Rebkong.
He pour bottles of alcohol on the ground as an offering while other men stood around him, clearing his way. Then, two young men on stilts came out and danced while beating drums. Two other young men, wearing green masks, followed them, performing a dance together with villagers.
Shaman pours beer into the sky as alcohol offering
Another shaman Festival highlights is piercing. This piercing activity holds in few villages, some of them are small and some are big and famous. The most famous one are Langgya Village and Bao’an village. On this event, Shaman, on behalf of the mountain god, pierces a steel into back or cheek of participants.
villagers performing Shaman Dance in circle while piercing their back with needles.
Participants continue performing circle dance with pierced cheeks until shaman pulls out the needles, blowing to the wound in order to heal it. This performance represents the blessing of mountain gods as well as good harvest. The shaman will go climb on a wooden pole which a thangka( painting of mountain god image) hang down and hit his forehead by knife. Offering the blood to the mountain gods.
Grils performing Shaman Dance in Tongren / Rebkong
At the end of the festival all villagers gathered together to sing songs and perform local dances. Everybody wore their best clothes adorned with colorful jewelry made from precious stones.
villagers making in line to prepare for the Shaman Dance.
2020 Shaman Festival to be held from August 5th –
2021 Shaman Festival to be held from July 25th – August 3rd
Come join us to experience this incredible and unique festival in Qinghai Province!
Shaman offers Khata to welcome snow lions in Rebkong, Amdo Tibet
If you are interested in joining other festival tours, please take a look at our Tibetan Festival Calendar here
