$380

The Saga Dawa(also known as Saka Dawa) is considered highly significant in Tibet. The term "Saga Dawa" came from two words "saga" which means "the fourth" and "Dawa" which means “month.” Taken together, Saga Dawa literally means the “fourth month.” The Saga Dawa Festival is celebrated during the fourth month of the Tibetan Calendar, and it falls on the 15th day of that month. Although the main festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the month, Saga Dawa is basically a month-long festival. This festival is significant for remembering the birthday, enlightenment, and death of Sakyamuni. The Saga Dawa Festival of 2022 falls on 14th June.

The fourth month is also called the "Month of Merits” and it is dedicated to gaining merits by way of pilgrimages to sacred places, by practicing "dana" (giving to other people, especially to the monks, nuns, and the temples), by refraining from eating meat, and by not killing animals. In Chinese, this festival is termed "Qiong Ren Jie" which means the "Poor People's Day."

When is Saga Dawa Festival Celebrated?

The exact date of the celebration of the Saga Dawa Festival varies from year to year because it is based on the Tibetan Calendar which is a lunisolar calendar and is different from the Roman Calendar. The lunisolar calendar indicates the time of the solar year and the moon phase. The Tibetan year is sometimes composed of 12 lunar months and sometimes of 13 lunar months. For this reason, the exact date of the Saga Dawa Festival varies from year to year. In 2022, it will be celebrated from the 14th of June according to Roman Calendar. Hence, if you plan to attend the Saga Dawa Festival, you can schedule your visit to Tibet between June 14th and July 13th.