Background of Shoton Festival
When the summer retreat for their intensive training is over, monks are served with yoghurt. That is said to be the origin of 'Shoton', which is also called the 'Yoghurt Festival'. At Zhaibung Monastery there are 'Cham' dances and the grand thangka is unveiled early in the morning. After devoutly viewing the thangka, the people go onto the Norbulingka and other popular spots for a lingka (picnic). 'Shoton' is also known as the 'Tibetan Opera Festival' due to the competitive performances of Ache Lhamo (Tibetan Opera) that are held at the Norbulingka. It is the opera festival and the greatest festivals in Tibet. In ancient times pious folks went into mountain hermitages for penance, and on the last day of which Yoghurt was served for meal followed by entertainment of folk songs and daces. Since 7th century, opera performances were held for days in Norbu Lingka. Presently, opera contests and distribution of prizes are held for seven days.Shoton means yoghurt, Legend has it that Tsong Khapa, and founder of the Yellow Sect made it a rule that all the Lamas must keep the mind on meditation from the fourth month to the sixth month of Tibetan year. Abstinence is broken by the end of sixth month. Then they may go out and ordinary people would give them yoghurt in charity and have picnic and entertainment hence the festival. Later it became theatrical festival of Tibetan opera. So it is also called Tibetan Opera Festival. During the Shoton Festival, teams of Tibetan opera and theatrical troupes would come to Norbu Lingka to give performances. There is also trade fair here. The Shoton (or Xuedun) Festival is one of the grandest festivals in Tibet.
 Popular fairs are also organized during the festival. Sholdon is the transliteration of two Tibetan words which means "the Yoghurt Banquet"in Tibetan. The festival is for eating yoghurt. The reason of the connection between Shoton and yogurt has a long history. There are more than 300 pieces of regulations in Tibetan religious tenets and the most important is to avoid killing lives. In summer, all the animals come out for food and it is easy to kill those small worms , so during the period from 15th in June to 30th in July, the Lamas are ordered to do nothing but stay in their monastery for penance, which is called "Yale" in Tibetan language . However, staying inside the monastery for the whole day means no enough food for these lamas and it is said that the livestock of the family offering yogurt to lamas will be free of disease and can never get lost, nor were eaten by wild animals. With these known by more and more people, offering yogurt to lamas becomes a common activity on Shoton festival.For a whole week in early July when Venus appears in the sky every year, Tibetans will bathe themselves all day long in rivers across the region, believing that bathing may cure illness and get rid of misfortune at a time when water is purest and mildest. According to a Tibetan myth, the gods will descend from the heaven on the 22nd of the ninth month of the Tibetan calendar every year. All monasteries will be open on this day to the needy and prayers and sutra chants will be given.
History of Shoton Festival
Shoton Festival, (Xuedun festival),is one of the major traditional festivals in Tibet highland, featuring in opera performance, song singing and other local shows.
It was said that the festival can traced back to the 11th century when Master Atisha (a monk from Bengal) was dwelling and studying in Nethang monastery in summer of that year,he set up rules for his students to follow, one of the set rules is that lamas should not leave monastery out to enjoy funs in case of protecting little creatures of the nature from being trampled to death.
 In 11th century, Buddhism was geting recovery from the heavy hit of King Darmo (the Tibetan king in 9th century who issued harsh laws to prohibit the spreading and any religious activities in Tibet highland in favor of his party), people between mid 9th century and mid 11th century had suffered a lot from the continuous and disatrous wars and rebellions and all prayed to God to wish having peaceful life, in histroy when Buddhism was i power, the life of people would be better and the sufferring of people is lighter, and Buddhism rituals advocate people to love little creatures, to respect the exisitance of lives and call on people to love each other and forget the hatred, revenge. n Atisha's time, it is time to sow seeds of live and spreading Buddhism in this suffering highland, and the cause Atisha is dedicating himself to is meeting the spiritual needs of common people, so he got great respect and it was he who begin the refusion of Buddhism in this snowland 200 years after Darmo rooted Buddhism out, during that period in which Atisha and his students stayed inside the monastery, the locals around and Buddhism followers would offer then thier best family-made Yoghurt, fruits and other seasoning food as their sacriface to thier spiritual master and a way to show thier respect.
In 17th century when Gelupa defeated Kargyuelpa's power and began its rule over Tibet, the Fifth Dalai Lama ordered the operas to be peformed in Zhaibung monastery, Potala palace and Norbulinka; during the celebration, Yoghurt ws served, local style operas and songs were performed, it was a sea of songs and dances in these area. with time going,it gradually became one of the most grandest, important festival in Tibet prior to Tibet New year.
In history, Shoton festival ws performed in Zhaibung monastery, this is because that when Gelupa establshed its rule over Tibet, its religious and political center ws in Zhaibung monastery, the Ganden Pochan was the once the reseidence for 5th Dalai Lama, after the Potala palace was rebuilt in 1682, he moved his palace to Potala from Zhaibung monastery; from the year 1682 on , the Shoton festival was performed first in Potala palace , then shifted to Zhaibung monastery; in the time of 7th Dalai Lama, the Norbulinka was built, he ordered the Shoton festival to be performed in his newly built summer palace after Zhaibung monastery. hence the reason that why every year when Shoton festival is to begin, Drepun monastery and Norbulink become the center of public focus |
