The Tibetan people living in different areas have unique marriage customs related to geography, natural conditions, religion, cultural background, and habits and customs. There are luxurious and simple weddings.

Generally speaking, when talking about marriage, the young man and girl cannot be of the same bone system, and should be suited to each other based on the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. When proposing, the young man invites a matchmaker to present the gifts such as hada to the girl's parents. If the girl's parents take the gifts, that means they have accepted it. They select a lucky day to write the betrothal invitation and present the "Milk price"and gifts to girl's parents.

Before the marriage, the groom must present clothes, headwear and bracelets.

On the day of fetching the bride, amounted delegation headed by a person with high status is assembled. The bride's side must hold a ceremony of sending a party to escort the bride to th groom's house. After the bride arrives at the groom's house, a marriage feast must also be hold besides a series of rites.

Here exist many modes of funeral such as inhumation, incineration,stupa burial, celestial burial, water burial, cliff burial, tree burial, stone coffin burial and multi-person burial, each having its special existent time, scope and sense. Inhumation is said to be the earliest practice in Tibet. The stupa burial and incineration are regarded as noble ways; the former in particular was only for the successive Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama as well as a few grand Living buddha's, i.e.being buried in gold and silver stupas; while the latter is for ordinary Shamen and noblemen. In the forested areas such as Nyingchi Prefecture, however, incineration is also practived by the ordinary people. Water burial is also adopted by the poor for those who died of starvation and illness as well as children.

According to the doctrine of Tibetan Buddhism, every thing has soul, and every life will be reincarnated. These doctrines dominate funeral customs. With their understanding of "death"as a synonym of "rebirth", the Tibetan people will be calm without any fear or grief. It is not only the dying person who can peacefully accept the destined fate, but also the relatives and friends who do not appear to show any deep sorrow as the people in other regions do.

(Source: China's Tibet Facts & Figures 2008 )