Buddhist believers burn mulberry branches in the incense-burner in front of the Jokhang Temple on June 15. [Photo/China Tibet Online]
The Tibet Autonomous Region welcomed the peak of the Sagya Dawa Festival, a traditional and religious festival marking the birth and the attainment of nirvana of Sakyamuni on June 15 (April 15 on Tibetan calendar).
The Sagya Dawa Festival lasts from April 1 to April 30 on Tibetan calendar.
"Sagya" is the 28th constellation named Di and "Dawa" means "month" in Tibetan. The birth and the attainment of nirvana of Sakyamuni is believed on April 15, the fifteenth of the fourth month on Tibetan calendar, so more Buddhist ceremonies are held in this month.
During the period of the Sagya Dawa Festival, hundreds of thousands of believers gather in Lhasa to take ritual walks while participating in ceremonious activities including fasting, freeing captive animals, alms giving, etc.
