Why do the Tibetan people have so many festivals? There are primarily four points to answer. First, it is due to the natural conditions. Tibet is distinguished as the Snowy Land, which has the highest elevation in the world. The harsh natural conditions threaten people's subsistence at every moment. This was especially true in the distant past. Hence, the people here have resorted to prayer to nature for existence. Such primitive worship was expressed through certain forms, gradually evolved into the festivals. Up to the present, we are still able to see the Tibetan people's worship to the celestial deities, earth deities, spirits of mountains, god of harvest and divinity of hunting, etc.

Second, it is out of the factor of population, Owing to the severe natural environment, the population in Tibet has been all along very small, and appeared even sparser on such a vast territory. So the people here have had stronger desires to communicate with each other and with the outsiders as well. Hence the festivals came into being to satisfy this need. If you had been wandering around the highland path for thousands of miles alone, and eventually run into a person, you would understand why the Tibetan people like to celebrate festivals so much. Meanwhile, the festivals add color to their life-long pattern monotonous work.

Third, it is from the features of their life and work. By analysis, we find that the festivals in pastoral areas have strong characters of animal husbandry, such as the horse racing festivals and the grass cutting festival; while those in rural areas have obvious features of agriculture, such as the Ongkor Festival, Meanwhile, on the opportunity of gathering, the people can exchange their products.

Fourth, it is from the need of spreading Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is exotic and its spreading over the land benefited a lot from the festivals. Through this channel, Buddhism is more widely accessible and more easily understandable. Exactly thus, we can understand why there is so strong a relation between Buddhism and the festivals; why so many Buddhist holy days are celebrated by lay people; and why the religious rituals can so be so harmoniously fused with the folkways.

In short, through the festivals, the Tibetan people are able to express their sentiment to wards Buddhism and nature as well. Through the festivals they are also be able to showcase their unsophisticated, vigorous and sincere personalities; display their ethnical affinity and demonstrate their steady economic and social progress. On the other hand, through the festivals, we are able to better understand the group of practical, brave and hard working people.