It is called "Molangqinpo" in Tibetan. "Molang" means to pray and yearn for, and it is a desire for happiness, peace and health. This is the common wish of monks and laymen, and it is also a concentrated reflection of their collective psychology at the beginning of the new year. It expresses the love of life, the pursuit of life, and the longing for an ideal world of monks and laymen, and reflects the life, universe and values of the snow-covered land. Another meaning of Molangqinpo is to commemorate the Buddha Sakyamuni. The prayer meeting was founded by Master Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism in 1409. The first prayer meeting was held in the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. Labrang Monastery, one of the six major monasteries, also has a large-scale prayer meeting. During the grand meeting, many activities will be held, including chanting scriptures, releasing animals, performing Tibetan opera, looking at Buddha statues, dancing Dharma dances, butter flower exhibitions, Maitreya Buddha circumambulation, etc. Chanting scriptures is one of the contents of the month-long prayer meeting. During the 15 days, all monks will hold Dharma activities 6 times a day. The first one starts at dawn and ends at sunrise, which is called the morning dawn. The recitation is the Diamond Sutra, which aims to expel evil spirits and remove dirt. Participants throw their own "Zhoujiwa" (sixty food balls) tsampa balls to the east, south and west, to pay tribute to the 15 guardian gods and King Yama, and pray for the prosperity of the four major undertakings (peace, prosperity, power and might). The second one is after breakfast, and then they will go to the debate conference in the autumn lecture hall. All talented and knowledgeable monks and scholars can debate with any opponent on Buddhist issues. The atmosphere in the debate field is warm and tense, with three people in a group and five people in a group. The two sides are arguing with each other, and neither side will give in until one side is at a loss for words and the winner is determined. The third one is the noon debate after the debate, which is held in the Great Sutra Hall. Then there was the prayer meeting in the Great Sutra Hall and the second debate in the autumn lecture hall in the evening. The contents were all chanting sutras, praying for the safety of people and animals, and eliminating disasters and blessings. The relevant sutras should be chanted repeatedly, wishing that Buddhism would always exist and Buddhist affairs would prosper. Releasing animals is another content of the prayer meeting and one of the various charity activities. The date of releasing animals is the eighth day of the first lunar month. On that morning, the Thubten Phodrang Courtyard of the Jamyang Buddhist Palace was bustling with people coming and going. Master Jamyang led the external affairs monks and internal affairs monks to open the door of the Buddhist temple with keys, and exhibited the ancient treasures and treasures collected in the temple all year round for the monks and lay officials at all levels to watch, in order to show off the wealth of the temple and make officials at all levels do their best to promote the cause of Buddhism. After the visit, the monks chanted the "Treasure Attraction Sutra" in the temple and danced their own dances to liven up the atmosphere. Then the horses, cows and sheep prepared in advance were led out, and the host solemnly sprinkled clean water on them, tied five-colored banners around their necks to symbolize the Buddha's release of life, and then released them out of the gate. They were allowed to roam freely in the mountains and wilderness and fend for themselves. People saw that they not only did not harm them, but all showed closeness and protection to them. The thirteenth day of the first lunar month is the day for the Buddha viewing ceremony in Labrang Monastery, and the festive atmosphere reaches 0. On this day, pilgrims with pious reverence came from the foot of the distant Tanggula Mountain, the shore of Qinghai Lake, the Aba grassland, the shore of the Bailong River, and the depths of the Inner Mongolia Desert, and even from the ocean to Labrang Monastery to view the huge Buddha statue. At noon, the Buddha viewing ceremony officially began. On the large Buddha viewing platform, the smooth and neatly decorated stone slabs shone brightly. On the ridge of the eaves wall, the scroll Buddha image slowly unfolds. A team of monks holds the edge of the scroll tightly at the top of the eaves wall, and another team of monks takes it below. On the left and right sides, there are two teams of monks. All four sides work together to carefully present a 10-meter-wide and 36-meter-long Buddha image to the public. At this moment, the monks and laymen are in silence, silently chanting, and praying for happiness and good fortune. The Buddha images to be worshipped are different every year, and the three Buddha images of Sakyamuni, Maitreya, and Tsongkhapa are displayed alternately. The Dharma dance on the 14th day of the first lunar month is also one of the main contents of the prayer Dharma Assembly of Labrang Monastery. The Dharma dance is held in the square of the front hall of the Great Sutra Hall. Master Jiamuyang sits on the chairman's seat in the corridor of the front hall, with the four great sachi-samas on his left and right, as well as other guests, and a row of lower-ranking sachi-samas sitting in the following order. The monks and laymen sit in a semicircular circle with them as the center. At the beginning of the Dharma Dance, an actor dressed as King Yama, wearing a mask decorated with a skull necklace, came out of the courtyard and jumped around the enclosure. Then came the King's concubine and the guardian gods such as the ghost dressed as a skeleton, a deer with antlers, and a yak with horns. With the accompaniment of the band, they were ecstatic, anxious, and elated. After a contest, the Buddhist army led by King Yama finally won the victory. The demons and monsters were completely defeated and thrown into the oil pan and fried to death. Then 0 Tai led the Buddhist soldiers and generals and the monks to send the triangular "Dorma" (food for ghosts) to the wasteland of the temple and burn it with a blazing fire, which meant that the evil spirits and monsters were completely driven away from then on, and the believers were blessed with peace and good fortune, and the temple was not disturbed by them. The Dharma Dance is a rough, bold, and anthropomorphic performance. Its outstanding feature is that it vividly introduces the identity of the characters and the roles of good and evil through masks without using words. The large jumps and many rotations draw on the style of folk dance, showing the broad mind, generous temperament, hatred of evil and fearlessness of death of the plateau people. From the Dharma dance, we can see the grace of early Tibetan dance. On the evening of the 15th day of the first lunar month, the "Butter Color Sculpture Exhibition" is held, and the activities are particularly prosperous in Labrang Monastery and Chanding Monastery. The butter color sculpture exhibition is the most exciting scene of the Merlang Festival, and it is also a grand exhibition of Tibetan Buddhist plastic art treasures. There are different opinions on the time when the butter color sculpture exhibition was first created. It is said that when Emperor Taizong of Tang married Princess Wencheng to Songtsen Gampo, the founding monarch of Tubo, Princess Wencheng brought the 12-year-old life-size statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, whom she believed in and worshipped, to Tibet and placed it in the Jokhang Temple. In order to express his great admiration for Sakyamuni, Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, presented a butter flower and a large number of butter lamps in front of the Buddha statue. Later, the monks of the sect followed suit, and the butter flower lamp dance party was formed on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Since the exhibits had to be evaluated and scored to select the winners, the participating units kept the design, composition plan, production location, completion time, etc. confidential. It was not until the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month that wooden frames were quickly erected at fixed positions around the Great Sutra Hall, and the exhibits were displayed as quickly as possible in the shortest time, hoping to win with novelty and novelty. After the exhibition, relevant personnel formed a jury to evaluate and score, determine the rankings, announce the list, and give rewards. When night fell, on the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, believers from all over the country who came to worship Buddha and incense rushed to the Great Sutra Hall of Labrang Monastery, vying to watch the butter colored sculptures. The rows and clusters of butter lamps arranged in advance around the Great Sutra Hall radiated colorful light, illuminating the earth like daylight. The butter-painted sculptures of various forms were carefully made by the six major temples of Labrang Monastery, the Henan Mongolian Banner Palace, the Jiamuyang Buddha Residence, and the five major branches and three classes of logic, prajna, Madhyamika, Abhidharma, and Vinaya. Each one is lifelike and divine, making people dazzled and reluctant to leave. They bowed their heads and worshiped until late at night. The 16th day of the first lunar month is the auspicious day for Maitreya Buddha (the future Buddha) to tour the world, which is called "Xianba Langguoer" in Tibetan. Maitreya Buddha was "invited" to inspect the whole temple. Monks and laymen hoped that he would bring good fortune and auspiciousness to the world in the new year. At about 10 o'clock in the morning on that day, the monks carried out the tall statue of Maitreya Buddha and set off from the big scripture hall. Accompanied by the temple band, the monks holding incense, treasures, and offerings surrounded the temple and made a grand circle. Since Maitreya Buddha is in charge of the future, there are huge crowds of people coming to worship Buddha. A large number of believers compete to walk around the temple and chant scriptures, rush to touch the statue and receive initiation, in order to obtain a bit of blessings. All major activities during the prayer ceremony of Labrang Monastery are open to the public, and pilgrims and believers are welcome to watch and worship freely. The doors of the major scripture halls are also open, allowing believers to go in to burn incense and kowtow, offer offerings, and walk around the Buddha statue or scripture hall to chant scriptures. The monks' houses are open to guests, and guests are allowed to rest and stay overnight. Information source: Luqu Tourism Bureau (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) Information source: Luqu Tourism Bureau (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)