1936 - 1937 Mission Diary

The official diary of the Gould mission to Lhasa sent by the British government. Read more about the mission diary.

February 11th, Thursday.

This is the last day of the Tibetan Old Year, and as far as official ceremonies are concerned it is a day of rest.

The last week will have been devoted in each household to baking cakes and biscuits and arranging before the family altar the traditional offerings, painted butter ornaments, fruit and sweets and cakes and pots of green barley shoots. There is the mound of barley meal with its butter ornament to be prepared which will be the first thing offered for luck to every visitor to the house; and many other traditional dishes of fruit, rice and butter to be got ready, and an endless brewing of chang for the guests.

Author: Hugh Richardson [see handwritten annotations in Diary by Hugh Richardson in MS. Or. Richardson 2, Bodleian Libary, Department of Oriental Collections, University of Oxford]

Page Reference: Pt XIV p.3

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