Tribute of White: The Hada and Its Blessings
The images used are from the Internet. As for the etymology of "hada", dictionaries vary in their explanations. Take the Monlam Dictionary: it writes khata as ཁ་དར།, gives the phonetic translation "hada ri", and defines it as "a silk fabric widely used among Tibetan and Mongolian people as a ceremonial gift to express blessings or to welcome honored guests".
According to the Dongkar Dictionary, in olden times, when a respected guest came to call or a relative was preparing to set off on a journey, the elders would form a small white dot from a lump of tsampa and press it onto the collar. That act carried a blessing for the visitor and a wish for the traveler's safe return. The dictionary adds that, although this custom has been transmitted orally by the older generation, Tibetan historical writings offer no clear account of the origin of the term 'hada'.
Origin and spread: So what is the origin of hada? White has always been prized by the Tibetan people, representing purity, auspiciousness, sincerity, kindness, justice, and prosperity. Under Mongolian rule in Tibetan regions, the custom was altered: blessings were shown by draping blue or yellow silk fabrics around the neck or holding them in hand, and this was called hadaཁ་བཏགས།. (Image source: Internet)
Among Tibetans, the custom of cherishing white has endured for generations. On holy mountains, white stones are set down as tokens of good fortune; white stones are likewise deposited on mani stone piles; and on the "Labtse"—a mound built from stones and earth in Tibetan regions, topped with long bamboo poles, arrows, and spears, and adorned with prayer flags—white wool is fastened to the long arrows as a sign of veneration for the deities.
Image source: Internet. Although the exact term "khata" had not yet come into use in the 11th century, the custom of presenting silk ribbons was already established. This is recorded in the "Record of Gadan Disciples' Inquiries", which describes how Zhong Dunba, having invited the venerable Atisha to Tibet to expound and transmit the Dharma, reverently offered him a silk ribbon bearing auspicious meaning.
Furthermore, other related documents record that in 1265, during the Yuan Dynasty, Dharma King Butiba returned to Tibet for the first time after his audience with Emperor Kublai Khan. As he presented a khata to the Jokhang Temple deity, a mural mother goddess stretched out her hand and asked for a khata. She was subsequently called "Zhuo Ma Da Ling Ma" (the mother goddess who asks for khata), and from that time the term "khata" was formally entered into historical records and became widely known.
According to the 'Dongga Dictionary' authored by Dongga Losang Chikle, 'Hada' was already in use during the Yuan Dynasty, when Mongols ruled over Tibetan regions, and at that time it referred to a blue or yellow silk fabric tied around the neck or carried in the hand to convey blessings; the name Hada has remained since then. The earlier custom of presenting silk was thus superseded by the high-quality silk-had khata. (Image source: Internet)
The 'Origins of the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition' further records that, while paying homage to his teacher and engaging in Kalachakra practice, Master Tsongkhapa presented white, yellow, and blue Hadas to his teacher. Later, as Tibetan Buddhism gained popularity, Mongolian and Tibetan believers in the tradition likewise embraced the ceremonial offering of Hada.
Image source: Internet. A text titled "The Origin of the hada" by Tsaidan Doje appears in the current fifth-grade Tibetan language textbooks for five provinces and autonomous regions. It states that the practice of offering hada originated in Tibetan areas. In particular, the text recounts that during the reign of Buton Gongjie, the ninth-generation Tibetan king of the Tubo Kingdom, a Bonpo follower named Watao Jian wrapped sheep wool around his head while performing religious rituals.
hadaཁ་བཏགས། originally denoted sheep wool wrapped around the mouth of a treasure vase or bottle (ཁ means mouth, བཏགས means wrapping or tying), and it was shortened to hadaཁ་བཏགས། for rhythmic harmony. From this, it can be inferred that hada was used in Tibetan areas from a very early time. Image source: Internet As society developed, commerce flourished, and fabrics and silks from the Central Plains of China and India gradually poured into Tibet.
White silk fabrics and textiles from the Central Plains steadily replaced Tibetan wool because they were both practical and attractive. This gave rise to the tradition of offering a strip of cloth or silk ribbon, whose length and width were eventually set to a standard size. Afterwards, all such offerings came to be known collectively as khatas, and depending on their quality, they were sorted into distinct categories: inner Tibet hada, outer Tibet hada, auspicious hada, fortune hada, victory hada, and plain hada.
In the book "Hada and Tibetan Customs," historian Kan Ben notes that "Hada" denotes silk or satin, serving as a ceremonial ribbon. This practice embodies respect and parallels the ancient Han tradition of offering silk as gifts. Due to the widespread influence of Tibetan Buddhism, Hada enjoys broad usage across the Himalayan region, Inner Mongolia, Mongolia, and other areas. Moreover, it is also found at Han Buddhist temples and sacred locations throughout mainland China. The accompanying image is sourced from the Internet.
The "Monlam Dictionary" states that hada comes in various colors, with white being the most common among Tibetan people and blue favored by Mongolians. It also notes a custom of presenting hada on occasions such as honoring teachers, welcoming visitors, funerals, weddings, and festivals. In earlier times, only white hada was used; later, additional colors like blue, yellow, and red emerged. These varieties are grouped into categories such as Inner Treasury Hada, Outer Treasury Hada, Pure Joy Hada, and Offering Hada. (Image source: Internet)
According to the "Dongga Dictionary", "Hada is divided into Inner Treasury Hada, East Offering Hada, and Jiaqian Hada." Furthermore, these are prevalent in Mongolia and the Himalayan region.
The Tibetan people have always respected the color white. The Jiaqian Hada, also known as Axie Hada, is shorter than the Inner Treasury Hada and features only one tassel layer at each end. A special three zhang long hada from the Qing Imperial family is the East Offering Hada. The Inner Treasury Hada, which is of the highest quality and drawn from the imperial treasury, bears the eight auspicious symbols and has two tassel layers at both ends. Photo by Nobu Omasila.
The Tibetan people's reverence for white stems from two primary factors: their living environment and their original Bon religion, along with external cultural influences. Historically, the Tibetan people have inhabited high-altitude, cold regions where snow-capped mountains endure, with snowfall present across all four seasons. This persistent presence of white snow has shaped their perception of white as emblematic of purity and beauty, while also associating the color with auspiciousness, loyalty, kindness, justice, and prosperity.
In Tibetan regions, wool is plentiful and is frequently used as a symbol of purity in gifts exchanged among people. The reverence for white is shaped not only by Tibet's indigenous religion but also by outside influences. The ceremonial silk known as Jedar (མཇལ་དར།) and Gledar (མགུལ་དར།), worn around the neck, is among several names for this item, which also include Lhaze (ལྷ་རྫས། sacred treasure), Lag (ལྷ་གོས། sacred clothing), and Laro (ལྷ་རེག sacred touch belt). Photo by Nobu Omasila Hada.
This custom is still practiced today, with white wool symbolizing good fortune in various rituals. During the "Labzhe" ceremony, the arrow shaft is wrapped with white wool to invoke blessings, while livestock receive protective wool talismans. At festive gatherings, wine vessels are adorned with a white wool tuft on the handle, and a small piece is placed inside the whole roasted sheep offered to distinguished guests. White wool also plays a role in more solemn ceremonies and rites. The Tibetan people continue to hold white in high regard as a color of luck.
Tibetan scholar Chen Qingying's book "Snowy Land Holy Monk - The Life of the Great Lama Buton Rinchen Drub" records that the Sakya sect once held sway in Tibet. Even now, the walls of ordinary Tibetan homes in Shigatse and Dolma Lhadrang still display the three-colored wall style of the Sakya sect. The custom of five-colored hada arose at a later period, with the five hues believed to correspond to the "Five Elements": earth, water, fire, wind, and space. (Image source: Internet)
In the Sakya sect, different hues are associated with particular deities—red with Manjushri Bodhisattva, white with Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, and blue with Vajrapani Bodhisattva—reflecting profound veneration. Hadas also come in a range of colors, each bearing its own significance: yellow stands for earth, white for water, red for fire, black for wind, and blue for the sky, while black hadas are seldom seen.
In terms of hada varieties, a wool hada made from sheep wool is now available on the market, introduced by Danba Dagji, a young Tibetan entrepreneur. Every hada displays distinct patterns, including the Eight Auspicious Symbols, the Five Buddhas, and the Rainbow, as well as Tibetan blessing phrases such as "May all your wishes come true"（བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས།）, "May all your endeavors be complete"（བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས།）, and "Wishing you eternal happiness"（གཏན་དུ་བདེ་བ་ཐོབ་པར་ཤོག）. Image source: Internet.
Because the silk hada formerly used for worshipping sea and mountain deities would not dissolve in seawater or melt into the earth, it posed a serious environmental threat. That was the initial reason behind making this pure wool hada, as he explained during an interview on Kangba TV's "Chating with Sangba".
Hada is the most highly respected ceremonial gesture among Tibetan people, woven into everyday life and visible in countless settings. A pure wool hada can break down naturally in the soil within a short period, leaving no environmental harm behind. Image source: Internet, "Ways and Meaning of Respectful Offerings.
Hada is always indispensable on joyful occasions such as weddings and housewarming celebrations, and also when making offerings to Buddha statues, sutras, or stupas, showing respect to a teacher, welcoming guests, offering blessings, or paying tribute to the deceased. Image source: Doje Ga. Certain etiquettes must also be observed when offering a hada. Professor Dequ of Qinghai Nationalities University once remarked, "I don't know how the current way of presenting Hada has come about.
In my childhood, I observed adults offering Hada to one another with respect, yet never was there a tradition of placing it around the recipient's neck. These days, however, a son-in-law might loop a Hada over his father-in-law's neck, a daughter-in-law over her mother-in-law's, and even students over their teacher's. Such actions show a lack of respect and amount to an affront toward the other person. This practice is misguided and undermines the true significance of presenting Hada.
The significance of Hadas varies depending on their color, and offering Hadas of different colors to teachers or elders carries distinct symbolic meanings. One group consists of red and yellow, another of dark blue and light blue, while white stands apart on its own. Dark blue and light blue Hadas are intended for officials and dignitaries, whereas red and yellow Hadas are meant for teachers. To verify this, one need only visit a temple in Lhasa and observe the colors of the Hadas in the statues' hands. In the case of a teacher, the Hada offered must not be white; rather, it should be red and yellow.
Modern hadas are often printed with blessing phrases such as “peace day and night” (ཉིན་མོ་བདེ་ལེགས་མཚན་བདེ་ལེགས). Nevertheless, after use, these scarves are commonly repurposed as ropes for carrying water or for tying bag openings, with the printed blessings completely overlooked. This is a highly negative practice. Hadas themselves are divided into Xida（ཕྱི་བཏགས）, Nangda（ནང་བཏགས）, and Gedda（གོས་བཏགས）, whereas the type presented among ordinary people is called Hada（ཁ་བཏགས）. Image source: Internet
Your offering of the hada today is commendable. As a teacher, it is basic common sense that using a hada—a symbol of purity—for household chores is an act of self-deprecation, and that burning a used hada promptly is the most appropriate course of action.
When we Tibetans offer tea to guests, we extend both hands forward with palms facing up, yet we must tuck away the two thumbs. The thumbs stand for oneself; tucking them away expresses humility, and raising both hands conveys respect for the other person. This is a very good custom. You must understand that offering hada is like handing over your sincere heart to the other person.
In the Tibetan writer Doje Tseden's work "The Origin of hada", it is stated: "The name Hada varies according to its use." Likewise, the principle behind offering hada remains unchanged, yet these days few people discuss such principles or spread related knowledge. Image source: Internet.
As society develops, the use of Hada has become increasingly widespread, including being used to congratulate winners at ceremonies and competitions. Its name varies by occasion: when Hada is offered as a tribute to the gods, it is called "Lhaze" ( ལྷ་རྫས། treasure of the gods), "Laro" ( ལྷ་རེག heavenly belt touched by the gods), or "Lagrak" ( ལྷ་གོས། divine garment); when presented to the teacher, it is called "Jedari" ( མཇལ་དར། specially prepared silk for paying respects); for weddings and funerals, it is simply referred to as Hada or "Goladari" ( ལག་དར། silk held in the hands); when hung around the neck, it is known as "Gedari" ( མགུལ་དར། silk worn around the neck); blue and yellow Hada are commonly offered to various mountain gods and protectors by the Mongolian people; and "Thangca" ( མཐིང་ཁྲ། silk with blue background and white motifs) is used in rituals and ceremonies for casting spells and performing exorcisms.
Various theories exist about the origin of Hada: some say it comes from the white wool of the Tibetan people, while others hold that it was adopted from Mongolian culture in the Yuan Dynasty. In the well-known Tibetan horse racing events, winning horses sometimes have Hada placed around their necks (image source: Internet). Ultimately, Hada is an essential object in Tibetan ceremonies and an indispensable part of Tibetan life.
From my perspective, the color white was linked by Tibetan ancestors to purity and good fortune. Because of this belief, white wool was reserved for sacred and beautiful applications, including the creation of livestock talismans and the wrapping of deity arrows to convey blessings and positive energy. This leads me to conclude that Tibet is where Khata first emerged. Image source: Internet. Khata is available in multiple hues, among them white, blue, yellow, and red.
In Tibetan tradition, Hada was originally made only in white, as the people have long revered the color white and favored white wool. This color is regarded as a sign of purity and nobility. Yet, with the gradual weakening of folk culture, the Hada tradition among Tibetans is also in decline. Today, Hada is being repurposed as a dance accessory, a strap for robes, and even a trouser belt—problems that call for attention. In addition, numerous customs govern the offering of Hada as a mark of respect.
The proper way to offer Hada depends on the recipient’s rank. When the recipient is a senior figure such as a lama or an official, the Hada must be set on a table or passed directly by hand—never wrapped around their neck. For a peer of comparable standing, the Hada is typically placed into the recipient’s open palms. When the recipient is a junior or holds a lower position, the Hada is laid upon the accompanying gift and offered along with it. During weddings, however, the Hada may be placed around the recipient’s neck as part of the ceremony.
Proper observance of Hada-presentation customs carries great importance, yet individuals may fail to follow these traditions correctly when they lack adequate knowledge or awareness. A case in point is students who place the Hada around their teacher's neck in the wrong manner, unaware of the deeper meaning behind the gesture. The appreciation and propagation of traditional Tibetan culture and heritage therefore deserve our attention and support. References: 1. "Monlam Dictionary" by Geshe Losang Monlam 2. "Dongga Comprehensive Dictionary" by Dongga Losang Chiqule 3. "The Origin of TuGu Religion" by Tugu Losang Qukijima 4.
5. "Discourses with Gadang Disciples" is credited to Adixia Zunzhe and collaborators. 6. Gaczangda Erji's translation covers Chen Qingying's "Holy Monk of the Snowy Region - Transmission of the Terton Baisiba." 7. A video lecture on the cultural significance of Khata is delivered by Professor Deque, who is from Qinghai Nationality University. 8. The host of the TV program "Chats with Xiangba" is Danba Daji. 9. "Khata and Tibetan Ritual Culture" comes from Kanben Daowei Purple Gold River Public Platform. 10.
Published in Youth Writer, 2011 Issue 2 (second half of the month) is "Tibetan People and Khata Culture" by Li Xueqian. In Tibetan Folklore 12, one finds "The Connotation and Others of Khata Culture" by Basang Luobu. Additionally, "Research on the Functional Culture of Khata in Tibetan Folk Culture" by Suolangcuomu appears in Cultural Industry Bimonthly 11.