Birthday celebrations for His Holiness the Dalai Lama were held in Chicago over the long weekend of July 4th -6th. Activities included basketball and soccer tournaments each day, followed by Culture and Talent Shows on Friday and Saturday evenings.
The Midwest Basketball Tournament and the 6th Annual Pawo Thupten Ngoedup Memorial Soccer Tournament were both held at Peterson Park, on Chicago’s North Side. Six teams participated in the basketball tournament: three from Minnesota (teams A, B, and C), and one team each from Chicago, Madison, and Kentucky.
An award ceremony was held Sunday at 4:30 p.m. to recognize this year’s players. All players received a certificate for their participation in the three-day Midwest Basketball Tournament. The Minnesota “A” team also received a trophy for winning the Finals on Sunday.
Four teams participated in this year’s soccer tournament: the Chicago Nomads, the Madison Yak Boys, the Minnesota Potala, and the Kentucky Rangzen Boys. The Madison Yak Boys won the Sunday finals. The basketball and soccer tournaments were well attended, with 450-600 people showing up each day. Thanks to all those who supported our teams!
Friday night’s Culture and Talent Show was held at the Thai Buddhist Temple in Chicago. Many talented dancers and singers performed. In addition, the Tibetan pop singer Phurbu T. Namgyal gave a special concert in celebration of H.H. Dalai Lama’s birthday.
On Saturday night, a birthday dinner party celebration and culture show was held at the Greek Orthodox Church on north Sheridan Rd. Tibetans and supporters of Tibet met to share in a special dinner prepared by the Chicago Tibetan community. Families brought their favorite Tibetan dishes to share at this buffet-style dinner. Momo and yak butter tea were only two of the many delicious items on the evening’s menu. As part of the culture program, participants modeled traditional dress from many different regions of Tibet. Dress from the Lhasa and Amdo regions were presented. There were also examples of dress by yogis and lamas.
The cultural and sport events at this year’s Tibet-fest were a great success. All were glad to have the opportunity to celebrate H.H. Dalai Lama’s birthday with their friends and families. The events provided many opportunities for Tibetans from around the mid-west to meet and renew old friendships, or start new ones. In closing, the President of the Tibetan Alliance thanked all for their participation in this year’s festivities.
