Litang Horseracing Festival Tour

In the past, Tibetans were mainly living on gazing. The dispersed nomadic life makes friends and relatives hard to meet each other in a year, daily necessities were also difficult to purchase due to lack of fixed markets. In this case, from hundreds years ago, Tibetans establish the camp meeting tradition on grassland during the blossom season every year, and practice it till today, which has become the most grandest and colorful festivals among Tibetan regions.

Litang Horseracing Festival is one of the extraordinary representatives. Reputed for its long history, it has been recognized as the biggest horse festival in Kham area. It was initially started on annual June 3 of lunar Tibetan calendar, that time the feast was organized either by a local chieftain or the monastery of Litang Chode according to the ancient norms. From 1960s, the festival is fixed on every August 1 and runs usually for about one week. It is generally held in the vast grassland outside of town, during the festival week, the pasture would turn into as a paradise of tents. Taking the selected horses, carrying the exquisite saddles, wearing the gorgeous dresses, bringing sumptuous foods, flood of Tibetans come to pitch their traditional Tibetan tents from nearby villages or far directions of Yunnan and Tibet. They come to meet friends, date, trade, celebrate, and the most importantly horse ride, this is why the horseracing festival gains the name. The tour will take on this splendid and exciting summer event, and possibly additional Guozhuang dance feasting in Xinlong depends on the local timing.