Cham dance ritual observed in Lhasa's Tsurphu Monastery

Members of a Tibetan Buddhist band performed during a Cham dance ritual held to celebrate the upcoming Losar New Year at the Tsurphu Monastery in Lhasa, capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Sunday.

There are three kinds of this religious dance, which are solo dance, duo dance and group dance.

The Cham dance is a ritual performed by Tibetan Buddhist monks to exorcise evil spirits. The dancers wear masks of various animals and mythical figures as they perform to the accompaniment of religious music. At the Tsurphu Monastery, the Cham dance is usually performed two days ahead of the Losar New Year, which falls on Feb. 21 this year.