New Year comes to southern Xizang: Pulan New Year in Ngari Prefecture

The first day of the eleventh month in the Tibetan calendar marks New Year's Day in Pulan County. Known locally as Pulan New Year, or Farmers' New Year, the festival is deeply rooted in agricultural tradition, embodying the local people's reverence for nature and their hopes for a bountiful harvest.  

Located in Ngari Prefecture, Xizang Autonomous Region, Pulan County lies at an average elevation of 3,900 meters. Yet, while much of Ngari is blanketed in snow during winter, the Pulan River valley, due to its comparatively low elevation, enjoys a milder climate that creates a rare winter oasis.

According to Zhou Wenqiang, a member of Xizang Xiangxiong Culture Academic Research Association, Pulan New Year, with its wealth of folk customs and cultural significance, has been observed for at least 1,500 years.  

Kejia Village is one of the central locations for the Pulan New Year celebrations. It's the repository of two local types of cultural heritage – the traditional Pulan dress, or peacock costume, and the Drinking Peacock Dance.  

The Pulan women's traditional peacock costume comprises of a headdress, earrings, necklaces, chest ornaments, belts and other adornments. The most precious item is the gawu – a gem-inlaid amulet box passed down from mother to daughter. Every pattern, color and ornament on these garment have a unique symbolic meaning which combines to document Pulan County's long history and cultural exchanges with nearby regions. Because of this, the garments are popularly known as "the epic worn on the body." 

In the Drinking Peacock Dance, the performers dress in costumes representing peacock feathers, and hold a wine cup. They execute slow, elegant movements that imitate the peacock's agility and nobility. The dance conveys a deep reverence for nature and a refined pursuit of beauty. 

Pulan New Year features a rich and diverse range of customs. After autumn harvest, neighbors help one another whitewash their courtyard walls, giving their homes a fresh look. Families prepare traditional food, such as roast highland barley flour. In recent years, as shopping has become more convenient, New Year supplies have become more varied.

One of the most joyful elements of Pulan New Year is a practice known as mengcai. Children, dressed in new clothes, go door-to-door in small groups, singing traditional New Year songs and asking for mayang – a local term denoting sweets or lucky money.  

In the evenings, villagers of all ages gather in the square, where they form a circle to perform the traditional Guozhuang Dance. The rhythmic steps are simple, so that visitors can quickly join in.

What makes Pulan New Year truly unique is its blend of deep tradition and everyday warmth. The smiles of the children receiving gifts, the joy of family reunions and the quiet pride of the people preserving their local cultural heritage, combine to create a living cultural pulse on this ancient land.