Almost three months ahead of the Tibetan New Year, some local villages have begun their special New Year celebrations.
In Baji Village of Bayi District in Nyingchi, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, villagers follow the tradition of celebrating the special festival, known as the Gongbo New Year, which starts on October 1 by the Tibetan calendar, which fell on November 16 this year.
A Tibetan woman prepare fruit for the Gongbo New Year celebration. /Xinhua
On the morning of Gongbo New Year's day, each Tibetan family worships the goddess of the harvest, with gifts and wine. During the ritual, they also sing and dance to usher in the New Year.
According to a local legend, the tradition comes from an event in ancient times when a local Tibetan ruler recruited the Gongbo tribemen of the Nyingchi area to fight his enemies.
Villagers celebrate the Gongbo New Year in Baji Village. /Xinhua
The ruler brought the New Year's Day forward to October 1, and ordered the soldiers to have a good celebration on the eve of the war so as to boost their morale. This custom has been handed down since then.
The annual festival also draws numerous tourists from various places to Tibetan villages.