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People
The people of Tibet are strong, and adaptable due to
the harsh environment in which they live, but they
are also extremely warm and hospitable. They are
always quick to invite a visitor to Tibet into their
home and serve them homemade food, and the famous
Tibetan butter tea. |
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Food
Food, just like Tibetan culture and people has a
very distinct character. Tibetan food is not only
sustenance, but also helps Tibetan people survive
the harsh climates. Their food keeps them warm,
gives them energy, helps them with the high
altitude, and gives them nutrient essentials to the
harsh climate. Due to the high altitude of Tibet,
water boils at 90 degrees making cooking with water
impossible, so Tibetan food has become very
specialized. The Tibetan diet consists mostly of
meat, milks and other high protein foods. |
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Tsampa
is a staple found at every Tibetan meal. It is a
dough made with roasted barley flour and yak butter.
There are two basic ways to prepare and eat Tsampa.
One is to make dough with Tibetan buttered tea. The
other is to make porridge with beef or mutton, and
vegetables. The Tsampa dough served with buttered
tea is salty, while the porridge is often served
with sugar. |
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Buttered tea
is another staple of Tibetan cuisine. Tibetans drink
butter tea because it warms them up. The buttered
tea is quite salty. Some people think it tastes more
like soup broth than tea. |
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Beef and Mutton
Tibetans live on beef, mutton and milk products.
Beef and mutton contain high heat energy which is
helpful in fighting the cold. Many Tibetans often
eat raw meats. |
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Tibetan noodles
are usually served in a simple vegetable or meat
broth. |
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Momos
are the favorite foods of most visitors to Tibet.
They are dumplings made with either meat or
vegetables. |
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Tibetan Dances
Nearly Every Tibetan can sing and dance. Dancing is
an integral part of every Tibetan's life. Tibetan
people sing and dance for nearly every event:
weddings, funerals, gatherings, and just for fun.
There are many different styles of dance. Each area
of Tibet has its own distinct style. |
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The Guoxie (village) dance is a
group dance popular in rural Tibet. This dance is
usually performed on open ground from sunrise to
sunset. It consists of men and women dancing
together in a circle.
Guozhuang (singing and dancing) dance is popular in
eastern Tibet. It consists of two parts, singing,
and dancing. It is an agile and vigorous dance. Men
and women stand in two separate circles and sing in
rotation while swaying and stamping their feet. The
tempo in the beginning is slow and as the song
progresses the tempo speeds up. They performers
conclude their singing by shouting "Ya!" |
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Xie (dance) dance is accompanied
by a stringed instrument. At festivals and outings
men and women dance the Xie face to face in two
lines. They are usually directed by one person at
the head of their formation who plays a stringed
instrument. The participants sing to each other to
express their feelings. This dance is graceful and
natural characterized by slow steps. |
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Qamo (sorcerer's) dance is a
religious dance. It came to Tibet along with the
introduction of Buddhism. It is used to subdue evil
spirits in monasteries. Originally the Qamo dance
was a mime dance where participants wore ceremonial
masks. A traditional livestock sacrificing ceremony
was held. Since the killing of livestock goes
against Buddhist doctrine, livestock are no longer
killed. Drawings are now substituted. At the end of
the dance the performers take an effigy of Duoma
(the leading demon), made of butter and tsampa into
the wilderness to burn it, which will drive away
evil and bring good fortune in the coming year. |
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Clothing
Tibetan clothing has a strong connection with the
people, and climate of "roof of the world". The
Tibetan's clothing reflects the history, beliefs,
and character of the local people. |
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Each area of Tibet has its own
distinct style of clothing. The clothes are
influenced by the religion, and environment. Tibetan
clothing consists of a robe and shirt. The Tibetan
robe worn by men is broad and is normally fastened
under the right arm, while the women's are slightly
narrower with or without sleeves. The robes often
fastened with two cloth belts. The shirts are also
fastened on the right. Men typically wear white
shirts with high collars, while women wear various
colors with turndown collars. |
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In northern Tibet, were the
weather is bitterly cold, herdsmen wear a fur lined
robe years round. Their robe also doubles as their
quilt at night. Since the day and night temperatures
vary greatly, during the day they usually do not put
their arms in their sleeves, but rather tie the
sleeves around their waste wearing their robe as a
kind of skirt. Their fur lined robes are very bulky
and have no pockets, but being fastened at the waist
it gives the wearer plenty of room inside for to
carry daily necessities, or even their children
inside. |
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In pastoral areas the clothing
worn by herdsmen are distinctive for their
decorations. Their clothing is usually hemmed in
black cloth at the front and lower edges and cuffs.
Women wear aprons decorated with colorful cloth
stripes.
In the south of Tibet where the weather is warm and
damp, the clothing is made from hand woven woolen
cloth. Both men and women button their clothing on
the right. Men's clothing are hemmed in colorful
cloth, or with silk, while women normally wearing
sleeveless robes. |
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In Lhasa, where the weather is warmer and damper
many men wear double layered robes, and women dress
in close-fitting robes and long sleeved shirts, with
brightly decorated aprons.
The apron is one of Tibetan women's favorite
clothing articles. According to custom the aprons
are only worn by married women. It is a privilege
that young girls look forward to. |
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