Contemporary system of official holidays in the Tibet autonomous region of China

The aim of the article is to analyze modern official holidays in the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China (TAR PRC) as a unified system aimed at preserving and developing the festival culture of the region. The study was conducted on the basis of regulations, scientific publications (mainly by Chinese researchers), and materials from the official websites of Chinese government agencies. The methodology relies on a comparative historical approach, as well as systemic and comparative methods of analysis of the identified factography. The Rule of General Chinese Holidays and Memorial Days (2013) is considered, which regulates the system of holidays in the PRC and establishes general holidays and public holidays for certain categories of citizens. It is emphasized that the Tibetan system of public holidays has its own features and is regulated, in addition to the mentioned Rules, by the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Regional Ethnic Autonomy. It has been established that due to the discrepancy between the Chinese and Tibetan calendars, there are three options for the timing of the Tibetan and Chinese New Years and three ways to calculate the number of holidays: holidays can occur on the same day, or with a difference of one day, or with a difference of one month. The main local holidays in the TAR PRC are considered: Shoton - a traditional holiday in Tibetan Buddhism; Gongbu New Year (Nyingchi city); Festival of Art and Culture of Sanjiang and the Ancient Tea Route (Changdu); cultural tourism festivals Yalong (Shangnan), Everest (Shigatsie), and Ali Shangshung (in the Ali region). The periods for these holidays have been determined, which also become official holidays. It has been established that the modern system of official holiday weekends in the TAR PRC consists of several levels: all-Chinese, all-Tibetan, and local, while some modern festivals in Tibet have been transformed into holiday weekends. The specificity of local holiday weekends is their connection to a specific city or territory. Securing traditional holidays on weekends plays an important role in protecting traditional culture and reflects not only the adherence to centuries-old customs, but also the desire to preserve the historical and cultural basis of the holidays and, in general, the heritage of ethnic minorities. The reasons for the development of the system of holidays as a condition for holding modern large-scale events have been identified