300 Years of Tradition: The 'Dressing Season' of Potala Palace

The Potala Palace, located on Marpo Ri Hill in the northwest of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, China, is a palace-fortress complex. One theory suggests it was built by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo to welcome Princess Chizun and Princess Wencheng; another theory suggests it was built as the royal palace after Songtsen Gampo moved the capital to Lhasa. Reconstructed in the 17th century, it became the winter residence of successive Dalai Lamas and the center of political and religious governance in Tibet. Recently, the World Cultural Heritage site, Potala Palace in Tibet, has entered its 'dressing season.' Workers mix materials such as milk, honey, saffron, and white lime in specific proportions, filter the mixture, and spray it onto the walls. This not only protects the building's surface from corrosion but also enhances its appearance. Every year on the 22nd day of the 9th month of the Tibetan calendar, Tibetans celebrate the Descent of the Gods Festival. Legend has it that on this day, various gods and goddesses descend to the human world, and they will stay in the house with the whitest and cleanest stone walls. Therefore, before the festival, Tibetans traditionally repaint the walls of the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple, a tradition that has continued for 300 years. The paint used is made from natural materials, primarily white lime produced in Tibet, with added ingredients such as honey, milk, sugar, and saffron brought by the locals. The entire painting process of the Potala Palace walls uses traditional techniques and formulas. Workers lower themselves from the top of the palace with ropes, like Spider-Man, and splash the prepared lime mixture onto the walls. The repainting work also includes maintaining all the windows, bema grass walls, stone steps, and parapets of the Potala Palace, giving it a fresh new look and making it the only castle in the world with a sweet, milky fragrance. This season, the rainy season in Lhasa has passed, and the water marks left on the walls during the summer will be wiped away. Under the sunlight, the white walls will appear even more dazzlingly white. After seeing the newly painted Potala Palace, locals will start repainting their own houses to welcome winter and the New Year.