Tibetans celebrate Shoton Festival in Lhasa

Celebrations for the traditional Shoton Festival, or Yogurt Festival, began in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, on Wednesday. 　

Tibetan monks were spotted carrying a giant Thangka painting during a traditional "sunning the Buddha" ceremony at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa. After the monks spread out, a huge Thangka painting was displayed on the hillsides. 　

Shoton Festival, which literally means "yogurt banquet festival," is one of the most important festivals for Tibetans. The annual festival takes place from the sixth to seventh months of the Tibetan calendar, usually corresponding to August in the solar calendar.