Sherpas is an ethnic minority living in the south slope of Himalayas, the Sino-Nepal border areas. In Tibet, there are about 1,200 Sherpas inhabiting mainly in Chentang Village and Lixin Village near Zhangmu, a land port on the Sino-Nepal border.

There are different sayings about the origin of the Sherpas. One is known as that an army from Markang of Sichuan settled down here after they were defeated by the Yuan’s troops and developed into today’s Sherpas; another is that they immigrated from a place called Shargongbu in Nepal. Most of the Sherpas agree with the later saying. Because the Sherpas have their own language but no script, it is hard to confirm their origin.

The castes of Sherpa, Garzha, Shaolaga, Qiepa and Wongpa make up Sherpa. People of the same caste are relatives, and they are not allowed to make jokes each other or to marry people from other nations. Sherpas’ marriage is of its unique comedy. Generally, there are three occasions. One is that if a man fells love with a woman he asks someone to act as a matchmaker and present Hada and wine to the woman’s family, which would invite the matchmaker for dinner; if the woman and her family accept the man’s engagement, her parents or sisters or brothers would send the woman to the man’s house on the day when they get married. Another is that if the man proposes to the woman and her parents accept but the woman herself refuses, the man can marry her by way of “kidnapping his bride”. The third is that both the man and woman agree on the proposal but her parents do not accept, the man would take all measures to hide the woman until her parents have to agree to the proposal. In addition, the Sherpas’ trial marriage is of interest, that is to say, When the daughter grows up at certain age, her parents would build a small house used for the girl to meet her lover and get well know of each other. If both of them find each other congenial, they would get married and live their own lives formally; If fissures occur between them, the girl can “divorce” her lover and continue to test other new lovers until both sides feel satisfactory.

The Sherpas are relatively similar to the Sherpas living in Nepal and there is frequent intercourse between them. In terms to caste, they are relatives. Besides, they share almost the same language, dresses, buds as well as living habits. Most of them believe in Tibetan Buddhism, mainly the Yellow Sect and Red Sect, and a few believe in Black Sect. Monks of the Striped Sect and White Sect can live outside monasteries and get married. If a Sherpas passed away his relatives will invite monks to mumble prayers for the past and then exercise cremation or inhumation, but no celestial burial or water burial which are prevailing in Tibet.

Sherpas take November First in the Tibetan calendar as the New Year’s Day. On the eve of the New Year, all the families are busy to prepare fried foods, corn wine and so on for the coming New Year. They are good at dancing and singing. The songs are melodious and the dance resemble to the folk dances of Nepal and Pakistan. Whenever it is the time of festivals or happy events, all the family members gather together to sing and dance all night while drinking wine.