Lhasa Local Customs

Constant turning of prayer tubes - one of the numerous rituals performed by the lay believers.

Long pilgrimages to the temples involving endless kowtowing before the Buddha & prostrating the entire body on the ground constitue some of the wonders of Tibet to the outsiders & strength & character to the Tibetans.

Prayer flags and Mani stones On the top of each pass there are rows of small, colourful, printed pieces of cloth: prayer flags. They flutter in the strong wind sending prayers directly to heaven. Each colour symbolises an element from which Tibetans still believe that everything was made: earth, air, fire, water and iron. Mani stones “grow” all around. Stones engraved with mantras, like Om mani padme hum, are piled up to form walls in every kind of sacred place. Due to the rarefied atmosphere, physical and emotional, strange mixed feelings will possess you, even if you don’t believe in mysticism. Don’t try to resist; let your soul free to pile new Mani stones up and send your prayers wherever they will address themselves.

There maybe too much to say here but, first of all, the most important thing that you should do is read/learn/pick-up-some-information on Tibet before you even think about going. There was nothing worse than the majority of 'Wow man, we're in Tibet -- groovy!'-type 'travel idiots' that I ran into who had no idea about the suffering (in the past and now) and problems that Tibetan people must deal with just to survive. Be informed and be smart about what you do. Learn some Tibetan words ('Exuse me' and 'Thank you' is more than enough) and and try to not use Chinese when speaking with Tibetan people -- that is a perfect way to turn them off to you and other travelers in the future. Try to stay at Tibetan run hotels and inns, ask for Tibetan guides (rather than Chinese guides -- if enough people ask for Tibetan guides, the Chinese government might consider lifting the BAN on Tibetan guides) and shop at Tibetan shops -- give the money that you worked hard for to the people that work just as hard but don't get paid.

Lastly, be careful of handing out pictures of the Dalia Lama to anyone...including monks. The pictures are highly coveted by the Tibetan people and travelers have been bringing them in for years.....maybe too many pictures. Anyone who asks you for a picture is not 'on the level' and should be avoided....they may be working for the government (making money catching naughty foreigners) or Chinese police. Foreigners have been and can be arrested, detained, deported, and worse for having 'contraban' like the Dalai Lama's picture. If someone goes out of their way for you and doesn't ask for anything in return -- offer a picture to them in private....but this is up to you. It may not be 'worth it' for the picture(s).

Buddhism is practised here and hence, its a buddhist state. They have a strong belief in Dalai Lama and hence, don't speak anything against the Dalai Lama.

This woman took her own mat to soften the ground is going to be praying on.
Although the picture suggests she is going to pray to a dustbin in fact she is at the side of the Jokhang temple.

Everywhere you see the police. Sometimes they are relaxing at a streetcorner like in this picture. Sometimes they are directing traffic, and sometimes they are just there.....

Just smile... the international language.

The two men on the left of the picture show a typical hairdress. Another common feature of Tibetans is their bright red/purple cheeks, which is possibly due to the sun's power at this altitude.