Presenting the hada -- a strip of raw silk or linen -- is a common practice among Tibetan people expressing best wishes on many occasions, such as wedding ceremonies, festivals, visiting elders and superiors, and entertaining guests. The white hada in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region embodies purity and good fortune.

Proper etiquette

Presenting the hada is a traditional practice of paying respects and hospitality in Tibet. When friends and family meet or when visitors are received in Tibet, snow-white strips of linen and sometimes even silk with tassels at both ends are presented.

As common as it is, presenting the hada entails many different rules that must be followed in accordance to various occasions; hada of various lengths, sizes and colors are presented at meetings and gatherings.

If you are presenting a hada to a high-level lama, superior, or an elder, raise it above your shoulders and bow, and when presenting the hada to a Living Buddha, lay it on the table or before his or her feet to show respect and appreciation. You will not receive a hada in return on such occasions.

When presenting a hada to a peer to show friendship, raise it and lay it on his or her hands respectfully. You will also receive a hada in return for your kindness.

When receiving a hada from your superior or the elder, to show your thankfulness, it is proper to accept it with both hands and raise it over your head to put on your shoulders.

The hada is also used when one is in need of help. If the hada presented is accepted, it is a promise that the recipient will help; if the hada is not accepted, then the request has been turned down. The hada is perfect for dissolving mistrust and enmity.

On some rare occasions, five-colored hada are used to present to Buddha in temples and monasteries. The five colors -- blue, white, yellow, green, and red -- represent the sky, clouds, earth, river, and the god of protection respectively. The length of the hada also varies. The longest hada can be as long as three meters whereas the shortest can fit inside a small envelope.

Origin of hada

The hada is pronounced "kha-(b)tags" in Tibetan. Folklore historians believe that the tradition of the hada presentation can be traced back to the reign of Kublai Khan, the founder of China's Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Basipa (Phags-pa) returned to Tibet in 1264 after his special trip to pay tribute to Kublai Khan in Northwest China's Gansu Province. He brought back a hada with the design of the Great Wall and Chinese characters that meant "as lucky as one wishes." When he went to worship the Buddha at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, Basipa presented the hada to the Buddha. Later, the hada was endowed with a religious connotation, referred to as "fairies' streamers."

White: cleanliness and sincerity

History recalls that people of the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) often used strips of white cloth as 　gifts, while some researchers say that pronunciation of hada sounds much like a Tibetan modification of the Mongolian word hadaka. It is still arguable whether the Han people or the Mongolians invented the hada. In any case, Kublai Khan was the leader of the Mongolians.

Though both Mongolians and Tibetans cherish the tradition of presenting hada at various occasions, Mongolians prefer to use blue and yellow hada whereas Tibetans choose to use white ones. White represents cleanliness and sincerity in Tibet.