Monlam Festival, also known as Monlam Prayer Festival or Monlam Chenmo, is one of the greatest festivals in Tibetan Buddhism. It’s one of the four great Buddhist events advocated by master Tsongkhapa, and is held from the third to twenty-fourth in the first month of the Tibetan calendar following the Tibetan New Year. In this article, we’ll introduce everything about this Monlam festival and give some travel tips for attending this spectacular gala.
Historical Origins of Monlam Festival
The Tibetan word Monlam literally means "Wish Path." As a major annual prayer event and religious gathering for Gelug Buddhist monks and scholars in Lhasa initially, the Monlam Festival can be traced back to the early 15th century and was instituted by one of the most famous monks in Tibetan history.
Monlam Festival is one of the greatest events in Tibet every year
Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism, envisioned Monlam as a platform for fostering unity among the Buddhist community and revitalizing the teachings of Buddha. Therefore, with the establishment of the Ganden Monastery in 1409, Tsongkhapa laid the foundation for Monlam, and started the ceremony at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa to commemorate the Fifteen Days of Miracles, referring to Buddha Shakyamuni performed miraculous feats and converted many non-Buddhist ascetics to Buddhism.
(Story background: According to the Sutra of the Wise and Foolish, six jealous ascetic masters challenged Buddha to a competition of miraculous powers, betting that the loser would follow the winner. Buddha accepted the challenge and over 15 days, he outdid the ascetics with a series of miracles, eventually converting them all to Buddha’s disciples.)
Traditional Rituals and Highlights of Monlam Festival
The Monlam Festival featured grand religious ceremonies, cultural performances, scholarly events, and a festive atmosphere attracting pilgrims from across Tibet. Here are some of the key highlights of this festival below:
Monks Gathering, Debates and Discourses
The massive gathering of chanting and praying aims to spread powerful blessings and clear negativities. Meanwhile, academic debates and discourses on Buddhist teachings were also a major highlight of Monlam, with the 16 Lharampa Geshes (highest scholars in Buddhist philosophy in the Gelug Sect.) taking their final examinations through public debates.
Giant Thangka of Buddha Unveiling
The giant Thangka (sacred Buddhist painting) unveiling is a centuries-old tradition started by Je Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug school, when he instituted the first Monlam Festival in Lhasa in 1409. The Thangka is displayed prominently for the duration of the festival, allowing devotees to make offerings and prayers before the image of Buddha. Usually, a huge embroidered Thangka (sometimes covering hundreds of square meters) would be ceremoniously unfurled on a hillside for public viewing and worship.
Giant Thangka of Buddha Unveiling is the tradition at Monlam Festival
Deity Costume Dance Performance
Tibetans usually perform the Cham dance to large audiences during the Monlam Festival. This masked dance with colorful costumes and symbolic gestures were performed by monks, depicting stories from Buddhist mythology. The dances are also accompanied by sacred music played by a group of monks using traditional Tibetan musical instruments. This featured dance is considered an offering to the gods, bringing merit to people.
Cham dance is a mysterious and religious performance in Tibet
Elaborate Butter Sculpture Displays
On the last day of Monlam Festival, an elaborate butter sculpture competition was held where monks, nuns, and aristocratic families created intricate sculptures using butter colored with mineral pigments into flowers, animals and religious Buddhist symbols like the dharma wheel. Sculptures can either be small or several meters high, adorning the streets and squares outside monasteries. In addition, another butter sculpture which is mixed with highland barley flour - tormas (ritual offerings for the worship of Gods) are burned in a large bonfire to conclude the festivities.
Best Places to Visit for Monlam Festival
The Monlam Festival will fall on March 3rd of 2025, and is celebrated across the Tibetan plateau, but the main festivities take place in Lhasa and the Amdo region (parts of Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan provinces). Here we introduce the two most famous venues for this religious events.
Jokhang TempleJokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet's spiritual heart, becomes very crowded each year with the spectacular celebrations of the Monlam Festival. The first Monlam was marked by the completion of major restoration works at the Jokhang, where all the statues were cleaned and repaired, and the famous Jowo Sakyamuni Buddha statue was adorned with a new gold crown and earrings.
Monks gather and chant in the courtyard of Jokhang Temple during Monlam Chenmo
While the festivities are not as grand as in pre-modern times, the Monlam Festival at the Jokhang still offers a unique window into the rich spiritual heritage of Tibetan Buddhism. Thousands of monks from the main Gelugpa monasteries like Drepung, Sera, and Ganden would congregate at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa for 21 days of ceremonies and rituals. With its sacred rituals, colorful pageantry and devotion of pilgrims, it remains one of the most important annual events in the Tibetan Buddhist world.
Labrang MonasteryAs one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school, though located at the remote town of Xiahe in Gansu Province, Labrang Monastery hosts the grandest Monlam festivities outside of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Every year, thousands of devotees from across the Amdo region and beyond undertake arduous pilgrimages to be part of this sacred event.
The Monlam Festival was first held at Labrang Monastery during the reign of the 2nd Jamyang Zhaypa (1728-1792), one of Labrang's most influential leaders. And one of the most awe-inspiring sights is the unveiling of a gigantic 30x20 meter Thangka depicting Buddha on the hillside above the monastery. Monks carry this masterpiece up the slopes and unfurl it before the gathered crowds in a breathtaking ceremony.
Conclusion
In summary, the Monlam Festival is a very important annual event in Tibetan Buddhism that celebrates the Buddha's enlightenment, promotes the preservation of Buddhist teachings, and brings the Tibetan Buddhist community together in spiritual practice and renewal. Today, this event also serves as a time to pray for the permanent cessation of suffering for all living beings throughout the world.
If you happen to be planning a trip to Tibet around this festive time and are interested in this cultural exploration, joining a tour or hiring a local guide is highly recommended to fully experience and understand the sacred rituals and traditions of this meaningful Tibetan Buddhist festival.
