The Tibetans have a long tradition of gathering for horse festivals every summer when grass grasses bloom and the winter's harsh highland climate is put on hold for a while. The whole family gathers to take part in this year's very big event of singing, dancing and competitions on horseback, where the men compete to have the best skills in horsemanship. Both women and men find their finest clothes and decorate themselves with beautiful hairstyles and expensive jewelry to show the family's wealth. The Litang Horse Festival is held in the originally Tibetan Kham region, located in China's mountainous Sichuan province. The nomads travel for up to several weeks from far away to participate, and one of the very big competitions is to pick up a white scarf from the ground while sitting on the horse at full gallop. The photos here are from 2018 when the festival in Litang was held for the first time in several years - Tibetan riots and protests in previous years had caused the Chinese to cancel the festival. The festival takes place at an altitude of 4,000 meters close to the city of Litang, which is known for its monastery and as the birthplace of the 7th and 10th Dalai Lama.