Birth of a religion.

Tibetan historical chronicles start from 7th century a.C. and relate that, in that time, Tibetan armies were for neighbouring countries and for the places which would have been in the future in the middle of the silk way, what Hun were for Europe.
In 842, with the assassination of the king, the area broke up in independent feudal principalities, and Tibetans would have never more left the high tablelands they populated. With the death of the secular authority, the power of the Buddhist clergy raised.
Buddhism starter to spread in that area around 3rd century a.C., but at the beginning it had to conform and live together with the animistic religion of the time, Bon. From it, Buddhism took many animistic rituals, which, together with esoteric customs of the tantric Buddhism imported from India, laid the foundations for Tibetan Buddhism development.
At the end of the 7th century a.C. Buddhism was completely spread in Tibet, monasteries increased more and more their participation in political and administrative decisions of the country.
In 1641 Gelupa (yellow cap sect), with the help of Buddhist Mongols, fought and defeated red cap sect. at this point religion and politics bound themselves indissolubly.
Their leader, Tsong Khapa, made himself call Dalai Lama, which means "ocean of Wisdom".
Tsong Khapa was born in present Chinese region of Qinghai, in Huangzhong, near the eastern border with Gansu province. At present in his city stands one of the six great monastries of Tibatan Biddhism, Kumbum.
The remaining are: Ganden Sera and Drepung in Lhasa area, Tashilhunpo in Shigatse area and Labrang in Gansu (China) a few hundreds kilometres South of Kumbum monastery.

Labrang monastery

Labrang stands near Xiahe, small town placed in a valley surrounded by endless grasslands, at 2920 m height, near the border with Qinghai. Its importance for Tibetan Buddhism lies in the fact that it is the seat of the living Buddha in Labrang, Jiamuyang. This lama is the third in order of importance, after Dalai Lama and Pancen Lama. Moreover Labrang is the biggest Buddhist monastery out of Tibet border, and, in order of importance, it is second only to Lhasa.
This monastery was built between 1650 and 1700 by Rangzongtsé, the first Jiamuyang, and at the height of its magnificence, housed about 4000 monks. It was, and it currently is, a kind of superior school, like a boarding school. In it there are schools of Art, medicine, of pagan and religious Buddhist traditions. Before Chinese Cultural Revolution, there ware 38 monasteries (Lamaserie) and about 80 temples.
Labrang did not come out of cultural Chinese Revolution unharmed, many monks were decimated, schools were closed and numerous monasteries destroyed.
The monastery, which had worked non-stop for 3 centuries, restarted its activity in 1980, when Beijing repressive policy loosened. At present there are about 2000 monks - novice and senior - come back from re-education fields. Schools were all re-opened and many temples and monastries restored.

Monlan or Great Pray

The most important event of the year for the monastery is Monlan or Great Pray. Tibetans refer to a moon calendar, therefore the date of this anniversary change every year. Monlan starts three days after Tibetan New Year's Day, which usually falls in February or March.
Four days long lasting spectacular ceremonies draw to the city nomads from grasslands, shepherds and pilgrims, each one coming dressed with his own colourful clothes.
Especially girls wanting to marry adorn themselves with beautiful golden and coral jewels and put on their most gaudy dresses. It is not only a religious holiday, it is also a chance to meet someone and spend some time together. Many families living far from each other meet during this holiday; young people make the most of the opportunity to meet their future consort. On the street you can watch actors' performances. Everybody without exception prays to get new merits for his next life.
During the fist day of the celebration, early in the morning, a holy image of Buddha, painted on a huge (35 x 25 m) thangka is displayed to all pilgrims. The image is laid on a holy hill on the southern bank of Dàxià Hè River.
Many people take part to this ceremony, and the devoutness showed in front of the painting is unequalled compared with other religious event.
All religious leaders of the monastery are present, including all living Buddhas living there.
In the second day there is Qiamuqia - devils dance. This event was related also by Marco Polo, who visited the monastery during his stay in China. The monks from dance school perform the whole day with very coloured masks and cloths.
Such dances aim to avert evil spirits and to show people, originally nomad and ignorant, the Tibetan "bible".
The third day, all night long, monks display very beautiful and coloured sculptures, made of Yak butter, symbolising different Buddhas. Pilgrims go many times by the sculptures and pray with very deep devotion.
The sculptures are displayed in the night because, in spite of the low day temperature -10°/-15°, the strong sun irradiation could spoil the statues.
The fourth day the statue of Maitreya is carried around the whole monastery's perimeter while a throng of believers follows this procession.

Pray in Tibetan culture

Pray, in Tibetan culture, has an essential importance. Tibetans believe the more devotion they put in pray, the more merits they acquire to get beatitude; such travel may require several lives before getting the long-desired end.
This firm belief, taken root in many centuries of observance, helped by the isolation in which people lived till a few decades ago, produced a deep and moving veneration act "ciak".
As Marco Polo related, pilgrims prostrate themselves completely and lye till their foreheads touch the ground. Then they kneel and afterwards they stand up with their hands joined, finally they lye again and in the meanwhile they say continuously the sacred refrain "Om mani padne hum". Some of them wear a protection for their forehead and hands, the other, with naked hands, hope they can get earlier to beatification.
In this way they go the whole perimeter of the monastery - three kilometres long - many times and many people come from other provinces - and it can take months or even year - to reach Labrang.
Monastery's perimeter is surrounded by arcades and temples where 1.174 Tibetan pray wheel - or mills - are aligned. These wheels are engraved and painted with images and sacred inscriptions. Inside the wheel there are papers where the refrain "Om mani padne Hum" is written, and pilgrims, make the wheels turn day and night, acquire merits, since refrain's efficacy is assured not only if it is pronounced, but also if read and made turn.
For the same reason Tibetans use to write their prays on flags which are placed to the wind. Every time the flag shakes, it is as if the pray would spread in the air and it bring merits to the one who placed it there.
For the whole length of Monlan it is moving to observe these for us unusual pray forms. In the West there are some deep religious manifestation, which recall, any old how, penance or prostration, but the limit themselves to the anniversary. On the contrary for Tibetans pray is a continuous life style, and it is important it is practised continuously. Nomad pilgrims really go from a monastery to another; they live on charity and practise "ciak" every day.

Life in grassland and in the city

During Monlan time the life in grasslands around Labrang passes slowly. Almost all villages are empty and people com back home only late at night, if they do not decide to pray during the night.
Early in the morning, you can often meet women going to the river to take the water flowing under a thick ice layer. Also shepherds, both sedentary and nomad, in the morning let their sheep or yak herds.
Usually each shepherd family has a monk in Labrang or other minor monasteries in the neighbourhood. As for example the "monastery keeper" of Jiamuyang in Labrang. The last of six sons he entered the monastery following his family's will - there has always been a monk in the family, who succeeded in filling an aspired and important post. This is the same story for the most of the monks in the monastery.

Modernity

Recently the influence of modernization, caused also by the presence of many Chinese people in areas where once only Tibetans lived, made its effects spread.
Some children, as already in West, do not put on the typical cloths of their culture, and prefer west-fashioned caps and jackets. Television, as already in West, make families' customs change. You can often find shepherds houses without electric power, but with radio aerial fed by a battery.
Mobile phone also entered a culture with some medieval - in the best sense of the word - customs, in the sense of tradition and spirituality.
These two qualities, together with a unique tenaciousness allowed Tibetans to face and get over hard life conditions. Some of them caused by inhospitable area they live in and other caused by Chinese people in their territory, Tibet.
The Chinese presence, that in the last period means also mania for China running towards westernization, make the century-old customs of people used for centuries to react to problems saying (in translation): "It does not matter it something bad happens to me. I must face life misfortune with serenity, patience and trust; maybe next problem will be easier than this. Should I not reincarnate, it will be better because I will be in Nirvana limbo where everything is peace, serenity and equilibrium.