Ongkor Festival: Tibet's Traditional Celebration of Harvest

 

Ongkor consists of two Tibetan words: "Ong" means “field”, and "Kor" means “to walk around the farmland". Ongkor features a festival where farmers and monks make processions around the farmland with ripening crops to pray for a good harvest. Ongkor Festival is a joyful moment to celebrate the harvest as well as to appreciate the blessings from the gods. In this article, you’ll learn more about this traditional Tibetan festival.

Origins of the Ongkor Festival

The history of Ongkor dates back 1500 years. It originated in the 5th century in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River when wooden plows were first being used to cultivate the land, and agriculture began to flourish in Tibet. Due to the harsh climate on the Tibetan Plateau, harvests are susceptible to damage from extreme weather. Pu-de gung-rgyal, the 9th king of Tibet, sought advice from the leader of the Bon Religion, who instructed the king to organize farming prayer activity, involving farmers to circumambulate the fields and pray to the Tibetan gods for a good harvest free from disaster. With the rise of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism, the simple farming ritual Ongkor began to be celebrated as an important festival, incorporating more religious philosophy and ambiance.

Farmland circumambulation is the trandition at Ongkor Festival

Ongkor Festival Traditions

Religious Rituals 
Each family selects one member to represent the family to join in the field procession. In the morning, they leave home carrying the prepared offerings to join the other participants led by a reverend monk or elderly person. The procession visit the local monastery first and perform the Weisang ritual (simmering pine or cypress branches to produce a fragrant aroma) to communicate with the gods. Amid the dense aroma of burning plants, many monks chant scriptures in unison. In the square of the temple, the participating people sing folk songs in unison, dance traditional dances, and throw the grains in their hands into the air, praying to the gods in the sky to protect the crops from natural disasters.

Barley flour throwing is one of the praying rituals at Ongkor Festival

Festival Procession
After the brief monastery rituals, the participants leave the local temples for the farming fields, officially commencing the Ongkor Festival procession. The leading monk or respected villager holds up the Buddha statue. The people who followed hold wooden sticks decorated with colorful scriptures, white khata, play horns and drums, and sing folk songs while walking. The men and women all wear their best traditional costume. They meditate, chant, and pray joyfully and solemnly for a peaceful harvest. Arriving at the selected barley field, they hold the praying ceremony together, and then rest for a while on the grass in the shade of the trees, where they share food and drinks. 

Villagers gather together to celebrate harvest at Ongkor Festival

Entertainment
After the procession around farmland is completed, participants return to the villages and perform a procession around the village. Those staying at home have tsampa, barley wine and a variety of snacks ready for the procession participants who have done a half day walking. Now comes the relaxing celebration. Dancing and singing, horse racing, equestrian, archery, and tug-of-war are all carried out. Young knights, experienced archers, cheerful women and children gather together to celebrate the year's hard work before the hard harvest season.

Archery performance during Tibetan Ongkor Festival 

Ongkor Festival Dates

The Ongkor Festival is held at different times depending on the region, as crops ripen at different times in different farming areas of Tibet due to its wide geographical range. However, it is generally held between July and September (June to August in the Tibetan calendar). If you are interested in experiencing the variety of the Ongkor Festival, you can attend more than a dozen festival events in Lhasa, Shannan, Shigatse, and other agricultural regions of Tibet. Contact us for more details and we can organize a customized tour for you.