Xizang villages come alive with ancient spring plowing festivities

By Palden Nyima and Daqiong in Lhasa Source: chinadaily.com.cn 2024-03-19

Tibetan farmers conduct ancient spring plowing rituals on Saturday to mark the start of this year's plowing season in Mar village in Doilungdechen district of Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Dressed in their newest and best ethnic clothing, Tibetan farmers from different villages of the Xizang autonomous region participated in ancient spring plowing rituals on Saturday to mark the start of this year's plowing season.

According to the Tibetan calendar, Saturday was the seventh day of the second month of the year. The Tibetan calendar uses unique calculations based on the stars in the sky to determine the dates of important events, such as the New Year or when to plant new crops.

In the early morning, villagers headed to the fields in the brisk air for religious prayers, butter tea, barley wine, traditional songs and dances to express their hope for a good harvest in the new year.

Unlike past farming production, where people mainly used yaks and horses to pull the plows, many now use cultivating machines. Some farmers dressed up the machines like yaks to show gratitude to the animals and commemorate their traditional role.

Farmers also greeted each other by presenting hada — white scarves representing purity and honesty — and sharing big bowls of barley wine. The fields were filled with laughter and cheers.

In a significant stride towards agricultural advancement, the Doilungdechen district of western Lhasa has accomplished the reservation of fine breeds, the introduction of new fine breeds, and the transportation of fertilizer, pesticides, and farmyard manure to ensure the seamless progress of spring plowing and sowing in the district.

Along with the construction of high-standard farmland across cultivated areas and a notable increase in contiguous farmland, the district has replaced and upgraded agricultural machinery. According to the district's agriculture and rural bureau, a substantial investment of nine million yuan ($1.26 million) has been allocated for this purpose.

The district will procure various agricultural machinery, including tractors, harvesters and seeders, to respond to the specific needs of agricultural production in each town and village.

According to the region's latest government work report, the region's crop output reached 1.08 million metric tons in 2023 and is expected to remain above 1 million metric tons in 2024. The region plans to build over 13,000 hectares of high-standard farmland in 2024.

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