Time: August (From the end of the 6th month to the beginning of the 8th month according to the Tibetan calendar).

Venue: Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region

Origin: In the Tibetan language the word “shoton” means “yogurt banquet.” The Shoton Festival has its beginning prior to the 17th century. By Buddhist discipline, monks are confined in their monasteries for several dozen days until summer is over. The day the “confinement” is over the local people treat the monks to banquets, at which yogurt is served liberally.

What’s On: “Sunning the Buddha” (giant tangkha-portraits of the Buddha are brought out of the monasteries and unfolded in the sun for public display), Tibetan opera performances, and trade fairs.