Tibetan Culture

Tibetan civilization has developed mainly along two lines: one religious and one secular. For a long time Tibet remained a mainly homogeneous and isolated society little affected by any alien culture.

Its traditional culture of religious vis-a-vis secular culture, and aristocratic vis-a-vis folk culture consequently remained intact.

Traditional secular culture in Tibet has its aristocratic and folk aspects. The Tibetan nobility reflects a combination of Tibetan, Indian and Western cultural facets, but because it makes up only a small percentage of the Tibetan population, its cultural influence is very limited.

Folk culture covers an elite of practitioners of Tibetan medicine, astronomical calculation, and arts, as well as a mass culture. This includes ballads and epics such as King Gesar , folk songs and dances such as the xuanzi and guozhuang , and folk traditions of festivals, weddings, funerals, and various Tibetan social taboos and conventions. These secular aspects of Tibetan culture have interwoven with mythological elements to give rise to the myth of Tibet.

Tibet's isolation ended with the 20th century British colonialist invasion, bringing with it a modern cultural intrusion.

The indigenous religion suffered a severe blow; consequently the secular culture developed further.

Tibet's peaceful liberation and democratic reforms resulted in the dissolution of the former ruling theocracy, and secular culture became the mainstream. Contemporary festivals, like Xigaze's Mt. Qomolangma, Qamdo's Khamspa, and Shannan's Yarlung cultural festivals, now complement the more traditional ones.