Horse races celebrate Tibetan new year

Nearly 10 thousand Tibetan people watched the equestrian performances in Lhasa Horse Racing Course in a way to celebrate the new year on Friday, the third day of Tibetan Water Dragon Year. Tibetan New Year, or the Losar Festival, as a fete for China's 5 million Tibetans, started on February 22, about one month later than the Spring Festival. A legend in Tibetan tradition goes that one who watches the equestrian performances on the third day of Tibetan New Year will be lucky in the whole year. "I believe I will be lucky this year for I have watched the new year horse racing performance," said Tibetan girl An Dzong wearing her new finery, who watched the performance with her family every year during the Losar Festival and Shoton Festival celebrated in summer. "If we don't watch horse races on the thrid day of the new year, the festival will be imcomplete," An Dzong added. This year, 24 equestrain events including horse riding archery, horse riding shooting, and picking up bowls and white silk karda while riding horse are performed. Highly difficult equestrain performances like dancing on hourseback and pyramid while riding horse always won cheers from the crowd. Austrian Elke Stvder studying Tibetan language in University of Tibet, together with her classmate and teachers, watched the performance to experience Tibetan tradition. "I think it's a very coulourful celebration. And especially like the horse races because we're here now to watch the Tibetan horse races and the riders," Said Elke. The new year equestrian performances, which is organized by Tibet's Sports Administration Bureau, enjoys a history of over 20 years. Nowadays, watching the performance on the third day of the Tibetan New Year has already become an essential activity to celebrate the festival.