People in the countryside of Xigaze have four New Years to celebrate: the New Year according to the Gregorian calendar, the Spring Festival according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Tibetan New Year according to the Tibetan calendar and the Xigaze New Year. Of the four, farmers living in the Nyang Qu River valley attach the most importance to the last one, which is spent in a lively and grand atmosphere. This Xigaze New Year is also called the New Year of Farmers, which falls on November 1 on the Tibetan calendar, or around the beginning of January according to the Gregorian calendar. At this time of year, the farmers enjoy their rare leisure because all agricultural works have been completed and crops have been harvested. The Xigaze New Year is determined according to the calendar of the Ben Sect and agricultural activities. All celebrations in the year are connected with farming. Since farmers are becoming richer, they attach more importance to the celebration of the New Year.
　　An excellent tradition has been handed down during the New Year of Farmers. That is, on New Year_s day, the hostess of a family who has been working hard for a year will take a day_s rest and the host and other family members will take care of the chores. The hostess will be attired in new clothes, receive respect from her husband and children and be waited on. The whole family will present a hada, gifts and barley wine to her to show their respect. The morning sacrificial ceremony on New Year_s Day is performed to pray for a bumper harvest and peace for humans and animals in the next year. As always, the host of every household will climb to the roof to make a fire with charcoal and ox dung _ thus beginning the morning sacrificial ceremony. He keeps adding aromatic poplar and pine sprigs, barley flour and butter to the fire and spreads out sacrificial food, such as fried _kasai_ (a kind of flour food), dried fruit and fruit candies. In the golden rays of the rising sun, cooking smoke rises from the roof of every household; aromatic scent of Tibetan incense permeates the air; and people pray in low voices for a bumper harvest and peace for the next year. Afterwards, people will sweep clean the threshing grounds and spread grains of barley, wheat and buckwheat, peas and canola. Then they stand in silence on the roof waiting for birds to arrive. Farmers in Xigaze believe that birds are the deities sent to the human world by Heaven, who can predict whether the next year is a bumper or lean year. The grain that birds like to eat predicts that this kind of grain will harvest more than the others next year. If birds eat all kinds of grains, there will be a bumper harvest for the coming year. Moreover, seven days before the New Year, people will fill five bowls with the soil from their own lands, sow the seeds of the five main crops in them and put lids on the bowls. On New Year_s Day, people will uncover the lids to see which grain grows best to decide what grain to grow next year. Because it is believed that this is the information and admonition to farmers from the God of Earth, this activity is also called Making Sacrifices to the God of Earth, which is holy and solemn because it is closely related with farmers_ lives the next year. Before the host of a family uncovers the lids, he must first wash his hands while other family members stand in respect, not being allowed to utter one inauspicious word. When the seedlings are presented before the family, they will burst into cheers. The villagers will inform each other of the good news and set off fireworks to celebrate.
　　On the second day of the New Year, each family sends a member to the willow woods to collect some long and thin sprigs, on which colorful sutra streamers and threads will be tied: the blue sutra streamers symbolize clouds; the red ones symbolize fire; the green ones symbolize water; and the yellow ones symbolize earth. The work of tying sutra streamers to sprigs are usually taken care of only by adult men. After tying sutra streamers to sprigs, dyed wool threads will be added for decoration. Every household usually makes six of these sprigs. One will be put on the top of a mountain near the village, another beside a river and the rest on the four corners of the family_s roof. The purpose of all this is to pray for blessings and health for the family in the new year, to drive away disasters and evils, and to ask blessings from the gods of mountain, river, family and all other gods for a favorable crop weather, a bumper harvest and immunity from all catastrophes.
　　People in Xigaze spend the traditional Tibetan New Year in an active way, too. On December 29 on the Tibetan calendar, every household will clean its house, put up New Year pictures and replace the old _kardian cushions_ with new ones. People will pay special attention to kitchens during the cleaning because according to legend, the God of Water and the God of Stove live in the kitchen. All utensils will be thoroughly cleaned and neatly placed, and Eight Auspicious Patterns will be painted on the wall of the kitchen to express wishes for longevity and a bumper harvest. All activity is enveloped in a joyous festive atmosphere. People also have to prepare fruit, boil sheep heads and fry _deka,_ a refreshment, to welcome the New Year. In the worshipping room is placed _chosu chema,_ an auspicious five-grain container packed with zanba, grains of wheat, wheat ears, barley seedlings and a colorful sheep head that symbolizes good harvest. On the eve of the New Year, a ceremony to drive away ghosts is held before the family gathers to eat _gotu_ (wheat flour dough cooked with nine other ingredients). The host fills the bowl of every family member nine times. The dough is made in a variety of shapes, inside which are symbolic objects. The person who finds one spits it out immediately, at which those present burst into wild laughter. The shape of a piece of dough and the object stuffed inside, each has a meaning to it. A dough shaped like the sun or the moon symbolizes brightness and uprightness; a dough with angles means bad temper, and whoever has it will drink on the New Year_s day as punishment; the porcelain shard stuffed inside a dough means gluttonousness and laziness; pepper means garrulousness; sheep_s wool means gentleness; white stone means kind-hearted; charcoal stands for cruelty; and salt represents a lazy person.
　　At three or four in the morning on New Year_s Day, the host of a family uses barley wine, zanba and milk dregs to prepare _chamgui_ and asks every family member to eat it before going to sleep. Every family will sends one person to fetch the first barrel of water in the New Year, which is called _qoipu,_ and feed the animals with the water. On the morning of the New Year_s Day, all family members wear new clothes and busily prepare for the New Year_s dinner. As the family sit at the table, the host will hold the auspicious container and prays the following: _Auspiciousness and union be with us,_ while presenting _chema (barley seedlings in the auspicious container)_ to each family member, who in return takes some zanba from the container and throws it in midair while saying, _Peace and health be with you._ Afterwards, every family member eats zanba and makes a white dot on his or her right or left shoulder. After this, the family sits down to enjoy the hearty meal. People pay much attention to food during the Tibetan New Year because they believe that one will have what one eats at the beginning of a year for the rest of the year. Adhering to this belief, every household will have its best for a New Year_s dinner. On New Year_s Day, a family must get together for fun. They will not go out of their house, nor will they work or clean or break things. If a _zhegar,_ a singsong artist, comes, it is believed to be auspicious and the artist shall be generously rewarded.
　　On the second day of the New Year, people begin to visit relatives and neighbors in a joyous atmosphere, and wish each other with _tashideleg (Luck be with you)_ and _lhosarsang (Happy New Year)._ When a guest visits a family, the host will first present him or her with _chema_ and then buttered tea and barley wine. Afterwards, the guest can, as he or she likes, join in all traditional entertainment such as Tibetan cards, playing dice and kicking the shuttlecock. Or the guest can chat and sing over the barley wine and buttered tea. People living near towns or cities play cards, majhong or watch television. In some villages, young men and women sing to each other and dance the _goshi_ dance. On the third day of the New Year, sports activities such as shooting on horseback and Tibetan Opera performances shall be held in some places. The New Year usually lasts 10 days, during which period all the towns and villages are emerged in the sea of joy of songs and dances.