China News Service, Lhasa, February 21, Title: The inheritance of butter flower skills "bloomed" Tibet New Year New Year New Year New Year market

China News Service reporter Jiang Feibo

"I probably started from the first grade of junior high school. Every year before the Tibetan New Year, I came to Lhasa with my father to cook butter flowers. In addition to farming and working, butter flowers are our main source of income." On February 20, in a rental house in Jibenggang Street, Chengguan District, Lhasa City, 24-year-old college student Tashi Ouzhu told China News Service reporters about his experience of making butter flowers during the winter vacation.

The Tibetan New Year is approaching in 2025, and the New Year’s market in Lhasa is very lively. It is reported that butter flowers were a substitute invented by Tibetan Buddhist believers in ancient times because there were no flowers for Buddha in winter. Now it has become one of the essential New Year goods for Tibetan New Year in Tibet.

In the Lhasa New Year’s goods market, most of the butter flower craftsmen come from Renbu County, Shigatse City, which is a traditional agricultural and herdsmanship area in Tibet. The butter flower making skills are skills they have mastered since childhood and have been passed down from generation to generation.

At the scene, Zhaxi Ouzhu, his younger brother and his father each squatted in front of a basin of clear water, with more than a dozen brightly colored butters such as red, yellow, blue and green around the basin. They skillfully pinched the butter and soaked it in cold water, kept rolling the fingertips, and processed it with small wooden knives from time to time. The butter became the shape of sun and moon, petals, elephants, monkeys, rabbits, birds, etc., and then combined these parts to a shield-shaped wooden board. In this way, a colorful butter flower work was completed.

Zaxi Ouzhu introduced that this year, four of them came to Lhasa to make butter flowers, three of whom were responsible for making and one was responsible for selling. In about a month before the Tibetan New Year, a team of four people can earn about 40,000 yuan (RMB, the same below).

Taxi Ouzhu is skillful in craftsmanship and can independently complete the production of a pair of butter flowers like his father. The 14-year-old brother Tudan Sanbu is here in Lhasa for the first time this year, and he can only make simple parts such as petals. The rest of the complexity needs to be completed by my brother and father.

Tsimeng, the father of Zhasi Ouzhu, said that the family has more than 20 acres of land, and the three children are in junior high school, high school and university respectively. The financial pressure is high. Making butter flowers is one of the important livelihood methods for the family. "Fortunately, life is stable, and my life goal is to plant the fields well and let the children go to school well."

Wangdui, who made butter flowers in Danjielin Community, Bakang Street, introduced that he has been making butter flowers for 38 years, and the eldest of his three sons has also inherited this craft. This year, he brought his 14-year-old grandson Danzeng Sangbu to Lhasa to squeeze butter flowers.

"We only came here after the New Year of the Shigatse farming in our hometown. Now the expressway from Lhasa to Shigatse is open to traffic. After leaving the village, we will arrive in Lhasa in two hours." Wangdui said that after they arrived in Lhasa, they first rented a house, and then bought ghee and pigments. After mixing and mixing, they can start pinching ghee.

The Tibetan New Year starts around 10 days before the Tibetan New Year, which is the peak period for Tibetans to purchase New Year’s goods. Wangdui introduced that the supply of butter flowers was in short supply at this time. "I can pinch 18 to 20 pairs of butter flowers a day. My grandson Danzeng Sangbu is responsible for selling them, and they can be sold quickly." He said that the price of each pair ranges from 60 to 160 yuan depending on the size and exquisite pattern.

Solang Tserin, a butter flower craftsman, said that this year he brought his two sons to Lhasa to squeeze butter flower. "In order to improve housing conditions, our family spent 700,000 yuan to build a new house last year." He said that 600,000 yuan was savings and about 100,000 yuan was a bank loan. His goal was to pay off the loan in one or two years.

In addition to farming and pinching ghee, Solang Tsering usually works on construction sites. He said that the family of three plans to stay until the first day of the Tibetan New Year. "When the time comes, buy new clothes for the children, and buy some daily necessities for the family, then go back to Shigatse to prepare for spring plowing."

At afternoon, the New Year’s goods market was crowded with people. Whenever someone inquires about price or buys ghee, the seller and buyer send New Year's greetings to each other, "Zashidler".