Festival Starting date: 1st of September 2024 to 4th of September 2024
The Shey Festival is a significant event that occurs every 12 years according to the Tibetan Lunar calendar, usually in the month of Dragon. Celebrated at an altitude of 4200m, it features various rituals, activities, and cultural programs. The highlight of the festival is the pilgrimage to Crystal Mountain, where participants circumambulate the mountain through its three phases: inner, middle, and outer Kora. Crystal Mountain is revered as the younger brother of Kalash Mountain in Tibet.
When the Shey Festival coincides with a Dragon Year, it holds special significance. In Tibetan astrology, the Dragon Year is considered auspicious, symbolizing power, wisdom, and good fortune. This alignment often attracts more participants and intensifies the spiritual fervor of the festival. Locals engage in elaborate rituals, dances, and ceremonies with enthusiasm, believing that the auspicious energies of the Dragon Year enhance the spiritual merit of their actions. Specific observances or rituals associated with the Dragon Year, such as offerings to dragon deities or prayers for prosperity and protection, may also be included.
The festival's historical roots trace back to a legend from 1000 years ago when the Buddhist ascetic Drikung Kyobpa Jigten Gonpo dispatched his disciple, Druptop Shinge Yeshe, to Shey. Yeshe conquered a fierce mountain spirit and transformed it into the pure Crystal Mountain. Annual kora pilgrimages around Crystal Mountain remain a central aspect of the festival. Shey is home to three ancient monasteries—Shel Sumdho, Gommoche, and Tsakhang—each holding its own significance. Gommoche is particularly revered as the site where Druptop Shinge Yeshe meditated and attained enlightenment, with his relics preserved in a cave there.
