The Birth Ceremony
The birth ceremony is called Pangsai in Tibetan, with "pan" meaning fowls and "sai" cleaning away. The Tibetans believe newborn babies come to the world alongside fowls, and a ceremony should be held to wipe them out so that these babies would be able to grow healthily and mothers recover soon. Such rituals, evolved from a Bon religious ritual to worship the God, have been going on for more than 1,500 years. On the third day of the birth of boy (fourth day for a girl), households tied together through gyido association come for the rituals, bringing such gifts as qingke barley wine, buttered tea, meat, butter and clothing for the newborn. As soon as they enter the house, they present hada scarves to the baby's parents and then the baby. This is followed by toasting, presenting gifts, and examining the baby while offering good wishes. Some families throw in a pancake feast to entertain the visitors.

The newborn baby is not given a name until the end of the birth rituals. Generally, a Living Buddha or a prestigious senior villager is invited, but there are also cases when the baby is named by his/her parents. No matter who names the baby, the naming is performed in accordance with the will of the baby's parents for auspiciousness.

When the baby is one month old, a ritual is held on an auspicious day to take the baby out of the home. Before leaving, black ash taken from the pot bottom is used to blacken the baby's nose to ward off evil. Generally, the baby, donned in new clothes, is taken to the monastery for worshipping the Buddha and also for blessing.


Adult Ceremony
When a Tibetan girl is sixteen years old, her family will select a good day to hold the ceremony of becoming an adult for her.

At that day, her parents will invite a lucky girl with the same age to wear herhair in two braids, which means that she is old enough to get married. Then the girl will wear the decoration of Patsu and the colorful skirt of Bangdian. Later, the girl's parents, relatives and guests will present her Hadas on congratulation. When the ceremony is over, the girl followed by three or four relatives, goes to the temple wo worship the Buddha statue. After they come back, the family will provide a rich dinner for the guests. After the ceremony ,the girl is allowed to make friends with boys and get married later.


Tibet Burial Ceremony
Cremation
Cremation is with lower rank than the stupa burial, only submitting to the Living Buddha and the High Lama. Others are forbidden to use this burial.

Before cremation, people wrap up the body into the sitting position and tie it to the firewood pile. At the same time, the lama chant scripture for the spirit of the dead when people spill oil on the firewood and light the fire.

After finished, the ash of the dead is taken to the peak to sprinkle in the wind or put in to a river.

Sky Burial
Sky burial is to feed the vulture with the body. After the vulture finishes eating the body and fly into the sky, the Tibetan people think that the dead man will go to the heaven.

The sky burial is held at the sky burial spot. There is a fixed place in different places. After one man dies, his body will be held for several days when the lamas are invited to chant scripture and select someday to hold the funeral.

On the day of funeral, it is quite early when someone is hired to carry the body to the sky burial spot. the man in charge of the sky burial burns incense first. Just then, the vultures gather there as they see the smoke. Then the man undressed the dead man and cut the body into pieces. The bones are pounded into pieces, too. Tsampas is used to mix the pieces. At last, the man whistles to call the vulture to eat the pieces, without anything left.

Earth Burial
Earth burial ceremony is an original burial tradition of the Tibetan people, but when sky burial ceremony is popular, the Tibetan people seldom use it because they think the one use earth burial can be reincarnated.

River Burial
There are mainly two kinds of forms of river burial ceremony.

One is to throw the whole body into the river, the other is to cut the body into pieces and throw them into the river.

Stupa Burial
Stupa burial is the burial ceremony with the highest rank. Only Dalai, Panchen and other High Lama can be honored.

When the High Lama passes away, his body fluids are deprived by several kinds of valuable medicinal materials and spices times. After dried, it is wrapped up by silk and put inside the stupa to be long kept. The stupa have several kinds, such as gold stupa, silver stupa, copper stupa, wood stupa, earth stupa and so on, according to the position of the Living Buddha.

When Dalai and Panchen pass away, their bodies are put inside the gold stupa, but the body of Gandan Tripa is put inside the silver stupa. The stupa is kept in different temples.

Combined Burial
This kind burial ceremony means that earth burial comes first, then cremation and the last one is river burial. It lasts one year.

During this year, different ceremonies will be held. It is often seen in the area of Loyu in eastern Tibet.

Other Burials
If a Tibetan child dies young, according to the lock tradition, the burial ceremony will be not held. They put the body inside a pottery can and then throw it into the river. Sometimes they keep it in the warehouse for a long time.

In some remote Tibetan area, there are traditions of stone coffin burial and rock burial.


Religious Ceremony
When a monk meets his master, he should kowtow before his master. When visiting a Khenpo or Living Buddha, one should kowtow three times.

Cushions are arranged according to one's positions. On religious days, the empowerment ceremony of Dalai and Panchen on pilgrims is different according to the position of visitors: touch heads and use both hands to deal with officials with high rank; use one hand to deal with the common officials; use a silk strip to wave on the common people to show pray.


Meeting Ceremony
When one meet with the older the respective, one should take off his hat, put it in the hand and bend his back 45 centigrade.

When one meet with someone with the similar age as him, he should nod his head and hold the hat before his chest.

Sometimes you bow and hold both hands over your head at the same time to show respect.