Monks and visitors wait to see the first rays of sunlight hit the huge Thangka on March 3 at the Labrang Monastery. Photo: CFP

Lamas chant, bugles are blown, drums are pounded and pilgrims sing hymns. Tens of thousands of Tibetan pilgrims, nomads and tourists flock to Labrang Monastery for its biggest annual draw, the Sunbathing Buddha Festival. In the first lunar month of every year, the monastery in China's Gansu Province is a magnet for pilgrims from the Tibetan-populated areas of China.

Early in the morning on March 3, dozens of Tibetan monks carry huge Thangka (sacred paintings on silk canvases) of Buddha to the ceremonial site. Believers and tourists trek up the mountain in the pale pre-dawn light, hoping to see the first rays of sunlight hit the Thangka.

Spectators look on in awe as the scrolls are unrolled to reveal a 400 square meter Thangka painting before them. And then they lay their Hada scarves beside the Thangka to show the respect to the Buddha. The sacred painting is used as a meditation tool to help Buddhist believers travel further down the path to enlightenment. Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes the value of visual arts in order to help monks and disciples visualize Buddhist deities. People come to watch the Buddha Sunbathing ceremony, hoping to get a blessing as well as to observe the mysterious tradition.

During the beginning of the year's first lunar month, there are a series of religious activities held by the monastery attended by both monks and pilgrims such as a festival in which captive animals are freed and the lively, masked Cham dance. In addition to this, the monks gather in the Grand Sutra Hall to recite Buddhist scriptures six times a day for several days.

Labrang Monastery is located in Xiahe county in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The monastery was built in 1709 and has developed into one of the six major lamaseries of the Gelugpa, or Yellow Hat School of Tibetan Buddhism.

Global Times

Pilgrims turn a long line of prayer wheels. Photo: CFP

Monks perform Cham dances to impart moral teachings through traditional performances.Photo: CFP

 

Monks carry the huge Thangka to the ceremonial site. Photo: CFP 

A Tibetan women holds her child aloft to get a blessing from the sacred sunbathing event.Photo: CFP