Tibet, located in the southwestern border of China, is known as the “Roof of the World”. On this magical land, a rich and colorful traditional culture with unique characteristics has been nurtured. The traditional culture of Tibet is created by the Tibetan people in their long-term production and living practice, which includes national language, religious beliefs, customs, literature and art, architectural style and other aspects. The following will briefly introduce the traditional culture of Tibet from several aspects.

Tibetan Language and Writing

The Tibetan language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family and has a long history. The Tibetan language was created in the 7th century A.D. by Tunmi Sambhuza, a minister during the time of Songtsen Gampo, a Tibetan Zangpo, and is a kind of phonetic script with a total of 30 alphabets. Tibetan literature is rich, including history, religion, medicine, astronomy, calendars and other aspects, and is an important source of information for the study of Tibetan history and culture.

Religion

Tibetan Buddhism is the main religion in Tibet, introduced from India in the 7th century AD. Tibetan Buddhism is divided into four major schools: the Nyingma School, the Kadang School, the Sakya School, and the Gelug School. Among them, Gelugpa is the most influential school, and its founder Tsongkhapa is known as the “Second Buddha”. Tibetan Buddhism has had a far-reaching influence on the lives of the Tibetan people, and temples, monks, sutra streamers, and mana stones have become an important part of Tibetan culture.

Customs

Etiquette: The Tibetan people are hospitable, and when guests arrive, the host will offer a hata to show respect. When offering the hatha, the host will hold the hatha with both hands and raise it above the head to show respect and blessing to the guests.
Diet: The staple food of the Tibetans is barley, wheat and corn. Barley wine, ghee tea and tsampa are the traditional foods of the Tibetans. Tibetans like to eat beef and mutton and are good at making all kinds of dairy products.
Clothing: Tibetan clothing has strong national characteristics, men and women wear Tibetan robes. The Tibetan robe has a big waist and long wide sleeves, which makes it easy to regulate the temperature. Men wear Tibetan knives on their waists, and women wear jewelry, such as earrings, necklaces and bracelets.
Festivals: The traditional festivals of the Tibetans include the Tibetan New Year, Xuedong Festival, Ghee Flower Festival, Horse Racing Festival and so on. During the festivals, the Tibetan people will hold all kinds of celebrations, such as jumping pots and pans, singing songs, horse-racing, archery and so on.
Literature and Art

Folk Literature: Tibetan folk literature includes myths, legends, stories, proverbs, ballads and so on. Among them, “The Legend of King Gesar” is a world-famous epic poem about the life of the hero King Gesar.
Songs and Dances: There are many kinds of Tibetan songs and dances, such as Pot Zhuang Dance, String Dance, Reba Dance and so on. Tibetan folk songs are melodious and have a strong national style.
Painting: Tibetan painting is most famous for Thangka. Thangka is a kind of religious painting drawn on cloth mantle, with high artistic value and ornamental value.
Sculpture: Tibetan sculpture is most representative of Buddha statues and mani stone. Manganese stone is a kind of engraved scriptures, Buddha’s stone, widely distributed in all parts of Tibet.
Architectural style

Tibetan architectural style is unique, represented by temples, palaces and houses. The temple buildings are splendid and magnificent, such as the Potala Palace and the Da Zhao Temple. The residential buildings are mostly stone and wooden structures, which have good heat preservation properties.

In conclusion, the traditional culture of Tibet is profound and profound, and is a bright pearl in the cultural treasury of the Chinese nation. In the context of the new era, we should inherit and carry forward the excellent traditional culture of Tibet, and contribute to the promotion of national unity and the maintenance of national unity. At the same time, we should also pay attention to the development and innovation of Tibetan culture, so as to give it new vitality and vigor in the new era.