Ancient ritual rolled out as Tibetan festival begins

A giant thangka with religious images embroidered in silk is displayed on Aug 16 at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa. - Photo provided to China Daily

LHASA (China Daily/Asia News Network): Thousands of residents formed long lines in Lhasa on Wednesday (Aug 16) to visit a giant thangka exhibition — religious images embroidered in silk — to mark the beginning of the annual Shoton, or Yogurt Festival.

The festival, held in the Drepung Monastery, is one of the most important traditional holidays in the capital of the Tibet autonomous region. It is also known as Yogurt Festival, as sho is yogurt in Tibetan, and ton means banquet.