What are the taboos when traveling to Tibet?

When receiving guests, whether walking, sitting or talking, always give the guests or the elders priority, and use honorific language, such as adding the word "La" after the name to show respect and kindness. It is taboo to talk about one's suffering directly. Greeting guests, bowing and bending knees, smiling. When sitting indoors, sit cross-legged, do not straighten your legs, put the soles of your feet facing people, and do not look around. When accepting a gift, use both hands to receive it. When giving gifts, bow down and raise your hands above your head. When offering tea, wine, or cigarettes, you should offer them with both hands, and do not put your fingers close to the mouth of the bowl.

Tibetans are absolutely forbidden to eat donkey and horse meat, and dog meat is the most taboo. Utensils containing these meats will no longer be used. They believe that eating the meat of these animals is unclean and sinful, and they cannot ascend to heaven after death. Fish is also not allowed to be eaten in some areas. People's preference for horses has the color of totem worship in primitive religion. They believe that the horse is a symbol of the road god. They do not eat its flesh, milk it, or use its skin, and they reproduce and die naturally.

When making a toast, the guest must dip a little wine into the ring finger and flick it into the air three times in a row to represent heaven, earth and ancestors. Then take a gentle sip, and the host will refill it in time, take another sip and then refill it, and drink three sips in a row. When the fourth refill is made, it must be finished in one gulp. This is a customary rule, otherwise the guest will be thought to be impolite and look down upon.

When eating, be sure to eat until your mouth is full, bite without making a sound, and drink without making a sound. When drinking butter tea, the host pours the tea, and the guests can only take it and drink it when the host holds it in front of them with both hands. Men and women who are not familiar with each other should not knead tsampa in the same bowl. It is forbidden to leave bowls, cups and other utensils with their buttons closed, because only the bowls and cups of the deceased can be left open.

On the first day of the Tibetan New Year, it is taboo to sweep the floor, eat food with fillings, cry, curse, quarrel, and say "empty", "nothing", "sick", "pain", " "Death", "kill", "poor", "don't want", "bad luck" and other unlucky words are considered to be unlucky for the whole year. You are not allowed to borrow things from others during the Chinese New Year, for fear of not being wealthy throughout the year.

The biggest taboo among Tibetans is killing. During the winter slaughter in the pastoral areas, the shepherds feel sorry for the animals and cannot bear to kill them. Therefore, in the western pastoral areas, large needles are used to pierce the internal organs from the back to minimize the pain of the sheep being slaughtered; in the central pastoral areas, ropes are tied around the mouths of the sheep to suffocate them. die. The herdsmen believe that killing with a knife is an undesirable and cruel act and oppose the killing of wild animals.

It is taboo to spit or slap others behind their backs. Women should not shake their skirts in front of others, as doing so would bring misfortune to the other person. When you encounter religious facilities such as temples, Mani Dou, and pagodas, you must go around from left to right. It is considered sinful to go in the opposite direction. When climbing over the top of a high mountain, don't make any noise, otherwise it will cause wind, snow, and hail.

Don't throw bones into the fire, thinking that doing so will attract ghosts. Avoid whistling at home, as it is only whistled when sending ghosts away. If there is a sick person at home, no visitors are allowed. It is taboo to take out the garbage at night. After dark, white things should not be taken out of the home to avoid losing wealth. After the death of a relative, no happy events, singing or dancing are allowed for 49 days so that the deceased can ascend to heaven quietly. String 3

Do not cross ritual vessels or braziers; prayer tubes and prayer wheels may not be reversed; it is taboo for others to touch the top of the head with their hands.

We also provide tips for entering Tibet:

1. Do less strenuous exercise before going to Tibet, drink more boiled water and less tea, and have a good sleep at home before setting off.

2. Before entering Tibet, you can go to your local pharmacy to buy related anti-altitude reaction drugs. Recommended drugs: Rhodiola rosea capsules, Nuodikang capsules, Gaoyuanning, Gaoyuankang and other drugs, 3 days in advance. Take the above.

3. If you are traveling to Tibet by train, prepare some food before departure, such as American ginseng, vitamin C, fruits, raisins, chocolate, and biscuits. If women are afraid of the sun, bring sunscreen, a sun hat, and sunglasses. If you are traveling to Tibet by plane, you still need to prepare all the things you need to prepare beforehand, but you must remember to have a full stomach. Tibet has a rainy season in July and August recently, and there will be a lot of rain and fog in the sky. Sometimes planes fly over Lhasa, so We are back to where we came from, and the food on the plane cannot fill our stomachs, so we need to eat before getting on the plane.

4. If you are going to Tibet from June to September, prepare a 2-piece set of clothes, a long-sleeved shirt + a jacket. If you go to Mount Everest, you will need to bring a down jacket. The weather in Tibet in summer is generally sunny during the day and rainy at night, with a large temperature difference. It’s about 26 degrees during the day and about 8 degrees at night. Be careful not to catch a cold and enter Tibet.

5. After arriving at Lhasa Airport or Railway Station, do not walk quickly immediately, but walk slowly. Generally, if you are traveling in a group, travel agency staff will arrange to pick you up at the train station (airport). Pay attention to the stop sign with your name.

6. After arriving in Lhasa, it is recommended not to take a shower or wash your hair on the first day. After arriving at the hotel, take anti-hypersensitivity drugs immediately. Do not eat spicy food and eat lighter dishes.

7. Generally, when joining a tour group in Tibet, the departure is relatively early in the morning, so remember to tell the hotel in advance to prepare for the journey early, or get up earlier to have a good breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Don't travel hungry.

8. The local currency in Tibet is RMB, and US dollars are generally accepted.

Other currencies are not in circulation, and neither are coins (there used to be many fake ones, but later they simply stopped accepting coins). There are only four state-owned banks in Tibet, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. There is only one ICBC in the entire region of Tibet (it is not recommended to bring an ICBC card). There is also postal savings. Tibet only accepts cash. Generally, there are few places where you can pay by card, so cash is convenient.

9. People in Tibet are very simple. To Buddhists begging in front of the Jokhang Temple or the Potala Palace, you can give some change, either ten cents or two cents, so it’s okay. Prepare some dimes to go to Tibet.

10. Regardless of whether you join a tour group or not, please do not trust the people soliciting customers from certain travel agencies at Lhasa train stations and airports, especially women. Otherwise, you will not know how you were raped after arriving in Lhasa. of. Therefore, if you are joining a group, it is recommended to contact the local travel agency in Tibet before departure. When signing up, you must recognize the big agency or brand agency to avoid going astray. If it is a self-guided tour, you can find some car rental websites online or stay in youth hostels, which is more cost-effective.

In conclusion, when traveling to Tibet, China Tibet Tourism Network reminds you: you must maintain a good mood, put safety first, have fun, don’t worry about urban life, and relax yourself.