Related video: To pray, to spread

Monlam, or the Great Prayer Festival, is one of the most important events in the Tibetan calendar. Wang Yan reports.

Crowds of Buddhists flocked to Lhasa's Jokhang Temple on Saturday to celebrate Monlam, or the Great Prayer Festival. On the last day of this eight-day festival, one of the most important events in Tibetan Buddhism, monks gathered to chant prayers and perform religious rituals.

Followers of Tibetan Buddhism poured into the temple from early morning, hours before the chanting of sutras began at 5 pm.

Lhasa resident Tsamjo, 30, was one of those to get in early, so she didn't miss out on anything.

"We have already seen some 20,000 people today," a temple worker told China Daily, one hour before the start of the ceremony.

After worshipping Buddha in the main hall, Tsamjo stopped by the "merits and virtues hall" to make donations and write down her prayers.

"I pray for world peace, and wish to invoke blessings for victims of the earthquakes in China's Yunnan province and in northeast Japan," she told Tongmay, a young monk, tasked with noting down the prayers of devotees.

These prayers, and the names of the devotees, are written on a huge piece of paper, which is then brought into the main hall where the chanting takes place.

All 104 monks of the temple are present for the ceremonies. Sitting on their cushions, they chant stanzas from Buddhist religious scriptures, in accordance with the believers' wishes.

As they chant, the devotees circle the main hall clockwise, worshipping the Buddha and praying.

"I have not missed a single Monlam," said Nyida Drolma, 63, who has visited the Jokhang Temple countless times. "The Monlam is considered a time of luck and holds special meaning for us."

She reached Lhasa by bus from her hometown in Quxu county, some 50 km away.

Holding a flask of melted butter in her hand - her offering to the temple - she said she would pour the butter into the lamp in front of the golden statue of Sakyamuni.

Giant butter sculptures, a highlight of the festival, were displayed outside the main hall at Jokhang Temple.

Similar ceremonies were also held at Tibet's Sera and Drepung monasteries.

Other activities associated with the festival included debates on Buddhist doctrine and an examination for the Geshe, a doctoral degree in Buddhist theology.

(China Daily 03/21/2011 page22)