As different prefectures of Tibet Autonomous Region celebrate the New Year at different times, Tibet might be the only place in the world with the most New Year festivals. 

Among all the New Year festivals, the Gonpo New Year of southeast Tibet's Nyingchi City is the earliest one. It is generally celebrated on Oct. 1 of the Tibetan calendar every year, and this year it falls on Nov. 19. 

Why do the local Gonpo people celebrate their New Year in October of the Tibetan calendar rather than January? It is said that people of Nyingchi used to celebrate the New Year on Jan. 1 as other Tibetan-inhabited areas previously did. 

But in the late autumn of one year during the Tubo Period (from 7th to 9th century A.D.), the Gonpo area - referring to today’s Kongpo, Gyamda, Nyingchi and Mainling counties in Nyingchi - was invaded. The Gonpo king planned to send troops, but it was near the annual New Year festival and his soldiers felt too sentimental to leave home. 

Therefore the king decided to shift the date of the New Year to an earlier one: from Jan. 1 to Oct. 1 of the Tibetan calendar. The soldiers then celebrated the New Year by enjoying a rich feast and good wine, and left to fight against their enemies. 

The earlier New Year highly boosted the soldiers' morale and finally they won the battle. From then on local people began to celebrate Gonpo New Year on Oct. 1 of the Tibetan calendar each year.