Tongren’s Festival of the Sixth Month, Qinghai Province (7 days)
Visit Tongren to mingle with performers and pilgrims during the festival, seeing ceremonial rituals and dances, crowds of pilgrims and onlookers, and (maybe) skin-piercing with skewers and hooks. We’ll escape the crowds to refresh with hikes in the nearby grasslands before getting back in the middle of things as the festival finishes.
This trip is not currently scheduled
| Day One main activities | Meet up in Xining, private bus to Tongren, visit Longwu Monastery. |
|---|---|
| Day Two main activities | Visit villages to see performances, out for a hike in the afternoon. |
| Day Three main activities | Visit Gazedong and Suheri to see performances, out for a hike in the afternoon. |
| Day Four main activities | See the big performances at Nianduhu. |
| Day Five main activities | Out to the grasslands for a day of hiking. |
| Day Six main activities | See the big performances at Suheri. |
| Day Seven main activities | Private bus back to Xining, back at the airport around midday. |
The main part of this trip is seeing the ceremonies and rituals of the ‘Festival of the Sixth Month’.
The festival takes place every year, near the end of the sixth month of the lunar calendar.
During the festival, in the monasteries and villages of the area, local shamans will lead ceremonies and rituals by entering a trance state to channel the spirit of the Mountain God.
When Huijie visited the festival on a scouting trip, she was looking the wrong way while taking photos and didn’t notice that a tranced out shaman was approaching with arms swinging. The shaman’s minder pulled Huijie out of the way just in time! When someone is channelling the Mountain God during a ritual, they aren’t liable for any damage caused to cameras … or to people.
On the trip we’ll mix in with the other pilgrims and sightseers to watch performances led by shamans, plus ceremonial dances, and – if you can handle it – the face-piercing, back-hooking, and face-cutting rituals performed in honour of the Mountain God. We’ll also take a break from the crowds by heading out to nearby grasslands for hikes.
Highlights
Ceremonies and rituals
We’ll visit villages and monasteries in the area to absorb the atmosphere of the festival. On some days we’ll have a schedule planned, but we’ll also be open to changing the schedule around slightly if our local contacts have any special recommendations. We’ll be doing a lot of walking around, with breaks while we watch the ceremonies.
Monasteries
We’ll visit Longwu Monastery, which is the main one in the Tongren area. We’ll see more monasteries and temples as we travel around.
Hikes
Also in the area are high-altitude grasslands and mountain trails. Huijie found some good walks to do while she was scouting, and she’ll make sure you get a chance to stretch your legs.
Huijie thinks the hikes might rate up to a Level 4.
Getting to Tongren and back home again
You’ll meet your guides at the Xining Caojiabao Airport between 11-11:45am on the first day of the trip.
We’ll then drive out to Tongren and get started on the trip.
The itinerary will finish in Xining on the last day of the trip, and we plan to drop you off at Caojiabao Airport around 5:00pm.
Please do not purchase your flights until we are able to confirm the departure of the trip.
