Bathing Festival (沐浴节)

The Tibetan Bathing Festival is held between the 6^th and 12^th of the seventh month in the Tibetan calendar; it is also known as the Bathing Week because it continues for seven days. This time of year is thought to be the best for bathing, because the rainy season is coming to an end and the sunshine is taking over, making the water pleasantly warm. Venus appears in the southern sky and stays there for a week; this is when the Tibetans go bathing in the river, taking butter tea, food and wine as well as horses or carts for transport. For a whole day of bathing, tents or large umbrellas are set up on the bank.

Clothes, shoes and quilts are usually washed first and then, when the water temperature rises at around noon, the people jump in themselves – naked. Everyone joins in and plays games together while they bathe, until the afternoon, when they retire to the bank and party in tents or under trees, singing, dancing, drink and have fun until Venus reappears, which is when they go home separately.

Many legends are told about the history of the Bathing Festival, which has a history dating back 700 or 800 years. One of these legends involves the Medicine King who, when he died, became a god in heaven. When an epidemic hit the area, killing people and livestock, they turned to him with prayers; when he heard their plea, he turned into a bright star which, when it shone, all the hills’ plants turned into medicine. The river, too, turned to medicine when the star shone on the water.

Everyone had the same dream in Tibet, that night, that a star was shining in the sky and a girl bathed in the Lhasa River and came out healthy and beautiful. This convinced the Tibetans that it was a message from the Medicine King and went to bathe there themselves. A week later, the star disappeared and so did the epidemic. With everyone now healthy, it was decided to develop this seven day bathing into a festival.

The other reason for this time of year being chosen is because, in the Tibetan astronomical calendar, the water now is cool, sweet, soft, clear and light, making it safe to drink and this the ideal time for cleansing.