Tibetan Prayer Flags

As a minority people in China , People in Tibet do believe in different thing from the Han culture.
Different from the modernized look , unique lifestyle , unique skills , unique medicine ,unique arts or architecture, unique spiritual things and of course living on the world famous plateau.

The Tibetan / Zhang people love to expressing their feeling through song , dance and prayer. Especially for prayer flags are a common sight in Tibet area prayer flags are colorful panel or rectangular cloths often found strung along mountain ridges , peaks high , trees, on hill tops , a rock , around religious sites such as monasteries and stupas to bless the surrounding countryside also each type of flags has a different purpose carries different image and different prayers.

Prayer flags found between Lhasa and shigatse

The traditional five colors represent the five Buddha families and five elements
Blue (symbolizing sky/space) Akshobhya Buddha and space.
White (symbolizing water ) Ratna Sambhava Buddha and water.
Red (symbolizing fire) Amitabha Buddha and fire
Green (symbolizing air/wind) Amoghasiddhi Buddha and air
Yellow (symbolizing earth) Vairocana Buddha and eart



There are two kinds of prayer flags:
horizontal ones, called lung ta (meaning "Wind Horse") in Tibetan,
the vertical Darchor. "Dar" translates as "to increase life, fortune, health and wealth", "Cho" translates as "all sentient beings".

Lung Ta (horizontal) prayer flags are of square or rectangular shape and are connected along their top edges to a long string or thread. They are commonly hung on a diagonal line from high to low between two objects in high places such as the tops of temples, monasteries, stupas or mountain passes.

Darchor (vertical) prayer flags are usually large single rectangles attached to poles along their vertical edge. Darchor are commonly planted in the ground, mountains, cairns or on rooftops and are iconographically and symbolically related to the Dhvaja.

Lung Ta / Wind Horse flags are the most common prayer flag in Tibet and The prayer is written in Tibetan and always express positive intentions for the happiness, enlightenment and protection of all beings.

Timing of Hanging , Taking Down , and other things about Flag Prayers
1. Flags should be hung in the correct sequence,: blue, white, red, green, yellow from left to right or from bottom to top.)
2. Old prayer flags are replaced with new ones annually during the Tibetan New Year Old prayer flags should be burned not thrown in a rubbish bin. . .
3. For the best effect they are hung on an auspicious day or at an auspicious moment, such as early on a windy morning , windy days, especially on a Friday. Try to avoid hanging new flags on Tuesdays and Saturdays
4. They should not be placed on the ground or used in clothing..
5.. Please don't place them on the ground or use them in clothing.
6. never associate them with intoxicants such as tobacco or alcohol.

As a Tibetans believe that hanging flags in high places the wind moves the flags, will carry the blessings , happiness , long life , prosperity.

I love these flags since I was saw for the first time in the Shangri La journey, they are so lovely to display and i hang them around my house to show that I am support for the Tibetan people, and bring peace to my home.