Tibetan customs taboo complete
When you go to a place, you must respect local customs. One is to show etiquette and respect, and the other is to allow you to have more smooth and enjoyable activities in the local area. Even if national leaders visit abroad, respecting local customs is the most basic etiquette. Today, Xiaobian has prepared a complete collection of Tibetan customs and taboos in Tibetan areas for everyone, hoping to help friends who want to enter Tibet! There is a lot of content, so it is recommended to collect it and read it slowly!
Hada: Color distinction, etiquette of offering Hada is the most common etiquette among Tibetans. Even when people wrote to each other, they attached a small hada to the envelope to show blessings and greetings. What is particularly interesting is that Tibetans also bring a few Hada with them when they go out, in case they encounter long-lost relatives and friends on the way. Under normal circumstances, yellow hada is dedicated to Buddhas, lamas, and teachers; white hada can be dedicated to everyone; blue hada can be dedicated to people of different religions or different ethnic groups; green hada is generally not given away to others. The colorful hada (colors are blue, white, yellow, green, and red) is interpreted by Buddhist teachings as the clothing of Bodhisattva, so the colorful hada is only used at specific times.
When teachers (lamas) elders, leaders, etc. give you a hada, you should lower your head and let the person who gave it tie it for you; on the contrary, if you are his elder, you can hang it directly on his collar; those who deliver the hada of the same generation can be held with both hands or connected with both hands; when paying condolences to patients and relatives of the deceased, you should fold the hada into a square and place it on the side of the patient or family member with one hand, or you can hand it in your hand, but it must be with one hand. Don't let the hada fall to the ground when picking up the hada.
Address: Add the word "La" after the name. When you address a Tibetan friend in Xizang, you can add the word "La" after the name."La" is a respectful address, especially for a friend you meet for the first time. This shows respect for him and should not call him by his first name. This may be very rude. For example, Gesang is called 'Gesangla', Tashi is called' Zhasila', teachers are called 'Gela', chefs are called 'Maqingla', etc.
Guest etiquette: Do not step on the threshold, men and women should not mix. When visiting Tibetan friends 'homes, do not step on the threshold or stand (sit) directly on the threshold when entering the door. You should sit cross-legged indoors, and the soles of your feet should not face people, and do not look around; Men sit on the left side and women sit on the right side. You cannot sit in a mixed manner.
Toasting tea: When toasting a cup in three mouthfuls, the guest must first dip a little wine with his ring finger and bounce it into the air for three consecutive times to show the sky, earth and ancestors. Then he gently sip it once. The host will replenish it in time, and then drink it again. Take a sip and refill it again, drink three consecutive sips, and drink it all in one gulp. When it is filled for the fourth time, you must drink it all in one gulp. This is an established rule, otherwise you will think that the guest is not polite and look down on him.
When drinking butter tea, don't rush to pick it up. The owner will hold the tea in front of you with both hands before you can take it and drink it. Only in this way can we know how to treat you well. Bowls, cups and other utensils are prohibited from being held down, because only the bowls and cups of the deceased are held down.
Kowtow: Kowtow long, short, and loud kowtow are also common etiquette in Xizang. They usually kowtow during pilgrimage to Buddha statues, pagodas and living buddha, and some people also kowtow to elders. There are three types of kowtow: long kowtow, short kowtow and loud kowtow. In the Jokhang Temple, Potala Palace and other temples with religious activities, people can often be seen kowtowing.
When kowtowing, put your hands together and hold them high above your head, from the top, to the forehead, and to the chest, bow and bow three times, and then lie on the ground. Stretch your hands straight, place them flat on the ground, and stroke the ground to mark it. Then, stand up again and do as before. In the past, some devout Buddhists traveled thousands of miles from Sichuan and Qinghai to Lhasa to worship Buddha. They bowed every three steps for several years. Many died on the way, and they felt sincere and sincere. No complaints.
The thick stone slabs in front of Jokhang Temple were also polished by the people who kowtowed. In temples, there is also a method of kowtowing to the head. No matter man or woman, old or young, first fold their palms and bow three times, then arch their waist to the foot of the Buddha statue, and gently push it with their head to express sincere confession.
Body language: Don't touch Tibetan heads casually. Don't touch Tibetan heads casually. This is very important. In traditional Tibetan culture, no one except Living Buddhas and elders can touch their own head casually. This is a very impolite behavior, please keep it in mind.
Touching the roof is a universal religious blessing act.
Whether in various religions such as Catholicism, Christianity, Taoism, etc., clergy such as masters, priests, priests, Taoist priests, etc. will use this blessing action to make you put your fingers together piously. He touches your head with his hand, and then reads a prayer scripture. Various religious connotations have different interpretations. Of course, this is an act of sincerity that leads to spirituality, and it is also a common spiritual comfort for religious believers. Such behaviors also exist in Buddhism itself, but Tibetan Buddhism enriches similar culture. In short, hands can be generously shook hands, held hands, and other parts other than the meeting ceremony. Unless the relationship is good enough, it is better to touch less!
Same-sex holding hands
Tibetans like you and think you are a "good person". They will hold hands with you, and their eyes will also look at you with a little touching tears and say: We are good friends! Come on! Shake hands! They still retain the feelings of a primitive human nation. Handshaking is a friendly gesture, not to be gay!
Gesture begging for money
Wrap banknotes in your palm, your thumb up, and then your hand keeps shaking up and down. Those who understand Chinese will also say: Amitabha bless you! Sakyamuni Buddha bless you! Obviously, he wants to beg for money or food from you.
Gesture to describe how good or bad it is
The five fingers are very different to describe the degree of good or bad. Give a thumbs up, indicating that the person or thing being evaluated is the first! The best, the best! And so on. Therefore, raising the middle finger in Tibetan areas does not mean provoking you.
palm up
In Tibetan homes, when others pour tea for you, you just need to put your palms up to mean that you have enough! Don't fall! Thank you! At a temple or Buddhist college event, if the Living Buddha and Khenpo make such a gesture, it means that the event has come to a successful conclusion and you can get up and leave the banquet! Or move on to the next event. In the Buddhist College, the Buddhist College Lama, who was eager to finish class, stared at the Kampo gesture from a distance five minutes before class ended. This is the most elegant Tibetan sign language and the most contented movement.
Attention! The meaning of hands up is different: hands up and palms up is usually a sign language of respect for guests. If you walk or drive past a Tibetan friend's house on the road, if the other party has no time to say hello at the door or window, the other party will compare hands up to mean "walk slowly"! "Good luck"! An action similar to offering Hada is usually "Please sit down!" at home "Please have your meal!" "Please have some tea!", Or if a friend wants to leave, it is also a gesture like this, which means "Please stop! Goodbye!" If you are embarrassed to stick out your tongue, make this auspicious gesture!
Diet: Meat taboo When eating, you must eat without a mouthful, bite without making a sound, and drink without making a sound. Unfamiliar men and women should not knead tsampa in the same bowl. In Tibetan areas, most people only eat beef and mutton, but never horses, donkeys, mules, or dog meat. Some people do not even eat chicken, pork and eggs. The situation of avoiding fish meat is more complicated, and whether or not to avoid eating fish meat is closely related to the region.
Rabbit meat can be eaten in some places, but pregnant women are not allowed to eat it. It is said that children born to illegal consumption will become hapless. Even if you eat beef and mutton, you cannot eat fresh meat slaughtered that day. You must eat it after a day. The meat slaughtered that day was called "Ningxia"(meaning "Japanese meat" nyin-sha). People believed that although the livestock had been slaughtered, its soul still existed, and it would take a day before the soul would leave the body. Tibetans never hunt birds or pheasants. In particular, Tibetans like "lha-bya-gong-mo" regard them as divine birds and avoid hunting.
There have always been fishermen and fishing villages in Shigatse, Lhasa, Shannan and other places in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin in Xizang that make a living by fishing. Local residents eat fish in certain seasons. Urban residents in the Weizang region eat fish, while people in the vast agricultural and pastoral areas, especially in eastern Tibet, eat almost no fish and shrimp food.
Funeral: Don't go to heaven burials Tibetan funeral etiquette taboos vary according to regions and funeral ceremonies. During earth burials in Dege County and Yajiang, Ganzi Prefecture, the elderly were buried high, and the younger they were, the lower they were buried. During burials in the Danba area, stones are strictly prohibited after the bodies are put into pits to cover the soil, which is to prevent the deceased from being pressured; dogs and cats are strictly prohibited from entering during the morgue, for fear of causing the bodies to rise again.
During water burials in Ganzi area, those carrying corpses should not participate in lively activities for a year and should not wear red. Relatives should avoid the festival of the year, but funeral mourners need not avoid anything. In Dege Gongya area, funeral processions are considered to be a kind of accumulation of merit, so villagers compete to make funeral processions. In the Gansu and Qinghai-Tibet region, after death, family members turn their hats upside down, tie white wool on their hair braids, and tie the ends of the belt in front of their bellies to express their filial piety. Avoid hosting weddings, singing and dancing for 49 days, so that the dead can quietly rise to heaven.
Tibetans avoid excessive sadness and endless crying after family members or relatives pass away. This is regarded as unlucky and will bring obstacles and disadvantages to the deceased's path of reincarnation. Normally, the way to appease relatives of the deceased is to repeatedly warn that excessive sadness and tears are extremely bad for the deceased. Relatives are prohibited from falling tears on the bodies of the dead. Tibetans avoid mentioning the names of the dead, unless lamas and great men, who only call them dead. If someone calls the deceased's name without reason, it will be regarded as the greatest insult and provocation to the deceased's relatives.
I emphasized that you should not go to see the sky burial! Why go to see the sky burial?
To satisfy curiosity? Then why don't you want to go and see the cremation? Think about it harmoniously; if your family's dead body was taken to the crematorium, and two people wearing SLRs and assault jackets ran to the stove to watch, what would you feel? I'm gonna beat him half to death if I don't push him into the stove, right? Seeing that this is the case for heaven burials, don't you think that ordinary herdsmen have good tempers and will not get angry? To brag and show off when we go back? Unfortunately, when we hear someone coming back from Tibet talking about the experience of watching heaven burials, we will think that this person is not only ignorant, but also very ill-bred.
Temples: The prayer wheel cannot turn counterclockwise. When visiting temples, pagodas and other religious sites, you must detour from left to right to the Bon Temple.) You will be guilty of walking in the wrong direction. Don't cross magic tools, braziers, etc. In addition, the warp wheel cannot rotate counterclockwise. Don't smoke, touch Buddha statues, flip scriptures, etc. Religious objects such as amulets and beads worn by monks are not allowed to touch them. Keep quiet when encountering Buddhist activities held in temples. Don't make loud noises in and around the temple, let alone hunt or kill. Do not use Tibetan printed paper to wipe things.
Killing: The biggest taboo in Tibetans is killing. Buddhists are more strict in this regard. Although they also eat beef and mutton, they do not slaughter them with their own hands. During the winter slaughter in pastoral areas, the herdsmen felt sorry for the livestock and couldn't bear to do it. Therefore, in the western pastoral area, large needles were used to pierce the internal organs from the back to minimize the pain of the slaughtered sheep; in the central pastoral area, ropes were used to wrap the sheep's mouths around them to suffocate them and die. Shepherd believes that slaughtering with knives is an undesirable cruel act and opposes the killing of wild animals.
Other taboos:
1. To reunite with long-lost relatives and old friends, you must first meet each other's faces and then say (cha).
2. You cannot step over or step on other people's clothes, let alone cross people's bodies.
3. You cannot wear it under other people's clothes and lines.
4. Don't whistle in the house, especially at night! Because you only whistle when sending ghosts.
5. You cannot sweep the floor or dump the garbage under the following circumstances: family members are away from home; guests have just left; at noon, after sunset and on the first day of the Tibetan New Year, to avoid the outflow of wealth. After dark, white things cannot be taken out of home.
6. Gapped or cracked bowls cannot be used to eat, nor can you pour tea for guests.
7. Do not step on or step on eating utensils, pots, pans, etc.
8. Do not dirty the spring holes.
9. Women cannot comb their hair and wash their hair at night, nor can they go out with their hair down.
10. Don't make loud noises when you go to mountains and cliffs and canyons you have never been to before. When crossing the top of a mountain, you must not make a sound, otherwise you will cause wind, snow and hail.
11. At dusk, you cannot go to people's homes at will, especially when there will be pregnant women in childbirth, women who have just given birth or serious patients, and strangers cannot go.
12. Seeing a fire set at the door, or a branch planted in the door with a red cloth strip posted on it means that patients in this household should not enter.
13. When using brooms and dustpans, they cannot be passed directly by hand. They must be placed on the ground first, and then picked up by another person from the ground.
14. Don't fart in front of others at will, especially elders and during meals.
15. No woman's hand can be placed on a man's head.
16. Don't put your head in the direction of other people's feet when you sleep.
17. No matter what you drink, you must first sprinkle a little and sacrifice it to God.
18. You cannot use a red pen to write the names of the world.
19. On the first day of the Tibetan New Year, it is forbidden to sweep the floor, eat food with stuffing, cry, curse, quarrel, and say "empty","no","disease","pain","death","kill","poor","don't","unlucky" and other unlucky words, believing that this will herald bad luck throughout the year. You are not allowed to borrow things from others during the Chinese New Year, for fear of causing you to be less prosperous throughout the year.
20. It is forbidden to spit or slap others behind their backs.
21. A woman cannot shake her skirt in front of others, thinking that doing so will bring misfortune to the other person.
22. Don't throw bones into the fire, thinking that doing so will attract ghosts.