Shoton Festival
12 August 2026 · movable holiday — A white scarf on the wind and a bowl of yogurt – welcome to Shoton!
Shoton, whose name means „yogurt banquet“ in Tibetan, is a traditional festival with Buddhist roots. According to tradition, at the end of the monks' summer retreat, when they had stayed within their monasteries, local people welcomed them with gifts of yogurt, as a sign of respect and gratitude. Over time the celebration grew to include Tibetan opera (lhamo), folk songs and dances. In Lhasa, giant thangka paintings of the Buddha are unfurled on the hillside near Drepung Monastery, and families picnic in the parks. The white scarf, the khata, is a gesture of honour and good wishes. The festival follows the Tibetan lunisolar calendar and falls around the end of the sixth month, usually in August. In our sky the festival appears as symbols: a bowl of yogurt and a white scarf carried by the wind among the stars.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver figure made of luminous dots and fine lines, like a constellation: a small bowl of yogurt and a long flowing ceremonial scarf (khata) drifting gently on the wind between the stars
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