Explainer | Why Tibetan New Year offers feast for dogs and what divinatory significance do food choices hold
Canine custom sees dogs choose from array of delicacies symbolising what future holds; owners must show reverence to animal throughout
In China’s autonomous region of Tibet, during one of the region’s New Year celebrations, a tradition places the fate of households in the paws of their most loyal resident, the family dog.
The unusual ritual known as “Inviting the Dog to the Feast” involves families presenting their dog with a meticulously arranged meal of sacred offerings.
Each bite is believed to hold divinatory significance, predicting the household’s prosperity in the coming year.
Unlike the main Tibetan New Year, the Gongbu New Year, celebrated on the first day of the 10th lunar month in the Tibetan calendar, is a unique festival observed by Tibetan communities in the Gongbu region of Nyingchi.
In 2025, it falls on November 21.
A central ritual of the Gongbu New Year’s Eve is the “Dog Feast”, in which the entire family prepares a sacred wooden tray filled with specific traditional offerings and places it in the centre of their courtyard.
The tray holds a variety of Tibetan delicacies, including tsampa, flatbread, butter, milk dregs, beef, mutton and beverages such as highland barley wine and butter tea.
