Walk into the Khumbu and you walk into Sherpa country. Every prayer wheel you spin, every mani stone you pass on the left and every cup of butter tea in a lodge kitchen is part of a living culture that is more than five centuries old. Knowing a little about it turns the Everest Base Camp trek from a hike into a journey, and if your dates line up with Mani Rimdu, the region’s great monastery festival, you will see that culture at its most colourful.

Who are the Sherpa people?

The name Sherpa comes from the Tibetan shar (east) and pa (people): “people from the east”. Their ancestors crossed the Nangpa La pass from the Kham region of eastern Tibet about 500 years ago and settled in the high valleys of Solu and Khumbu, below Mount Everest. They farmed potatoes and barley, herded yaks, and traded salt, wool and grain across the passes between Tibet and Nepal.

Today Sherpas live mainly in the Solukhumbu district, with communities in Rolwaling, Helambu and Kathmandu. Around the world the word “sherpa” has come to mean a mountain guide, but for Sherpas themselves it is the name of their people, and many Sherpas work as teachers, doctors, pilots, business owners and lodge keepers as well as climbers and guides.

Faith: Buddhism in every village

Sherpas follow the Nyingma school, the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism, which traces its teachings to Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava). Older beliefs live alongside it: mountains, springs and rocks are homes of local deities. Khumbila (5,761 m), the peak that rises above Khumjung and Namche, is the home of the Khumbu’s protector god, and it has never been climbed out of respect.

On the trail you will see this faith everywhere:

• Mani stones and walls carved with Om Mani Padme Hum. Always walk to their left, keeping them on your right.
• Prayer wheels at village entrances and monasteries, turned clockwise so each turn sends the prayers inside out into the world.
• Prayer flags in five colours (blue, white, red, green and yellow) strung across bridges and passes, where the wind carries their blessings.
• Chortens (stupas) at passes and village gates, walked around clockwise.
• Kani gates, painted archways at village entrances, meant to purify travellers who walk through.

Monasteries on the Everest trail

The great monastery of the Khumbu is Tengboche (3,867 m), founded in 1916, destroyed by an earthquake in 1934, rebuilt, burned in 1989 and rebuilt again with help from around the world. Other gompas worth a visit are Khumjung, which keeps a famous “yeti scalp“; Pangboche, said to be the oldest monastery in the Khumbu; Thame, built into the cliff above the village; and the small monastery in Namche Bazaar. Most welcome respectful visitors, especially during afternoon prayers.

Everyday Sherpa life you will see

Names by the day of the week. Many Sherpas are named after the day they were born, which is why you meet so many Pasangs and Dawas: Nima (Sunday), Dawa (Monday), Mingma (Tuesday), Lhakpa (Wednesday), Phurba (Thursday), Pasang (Friday) and Pemba (Saturday).

Food and drink. Butter tea, tsampa (roasted barley flour), potato pancakes called rildok and riki kur, Sherpa stew (shyakpa), and of course dal bhat and momos. In the lodges, the kitchen stove is the warm heart of the house, and the family usually eats there too.

Homes and yaks. Traditional houses are built of stone with the family living upstairs and animals or storage below. Yaks and dzopkyos (yak–cow crossbreeds) carry loads on the trail; always step to the mountain side when they pass.

Language. Sherpas speak Sherpa, a Tibetan language, as well as Nepali. A smiling Tashi delek (good luck, hello) or Namaste is always welcome, and thuk-je-chhe means thank you.

The Mani Rimdu festival

Mani Rimdu is the most important festival in the Khumbu: a 19-day cycle of prayers and rituals that ends with three public days of blessings, masked dances and a fire ceremony. It celebrates the victory of Buddhism over the old demons of the land and is believed to bring blessings, health and long life to everyone who attends.

The festival came to the Khumbu from Rongbuk Monastery on the Tibetan side of Everest in the first half of the 20th century. Today it is held three times a year in the region: at Tengboche in autumn (October or November), at Thame in spring (around May), and at Chiwong monastery in the lower Solu region in autumn.

For the first two weeks, the monks work in private: they build a detailed sand mandala, chant, and prepare the sacred rilbu pills. Then the courtyard opens to everyone:

1. Wang (blessing day). The head lama blesses the crowd and gives out long-life pills and blessed threads. Sherpas from all over the valley come in their best clothes.
2. Chham (masked dances). Monks in brocade robes and painted masks perform slow, powerful dances that act out the defeat of evil and ignorance, with comic interludes that make the crowd laugh. This is the day most visitors come for.
3. Jinsak (fire ceremony). A fire offering burns away harm and obstacles, and the sand mandala is swept away, a reminder that nothing is permanent.

In 2026, the public days at Tengboche were 26–28 October. The festival follows the Tibetan lunar calendar, so the dates move each year; they usually fall between mid-October and mid-November. Ask us for next year’s dates and we can plan your Everest Base Camp Trek so you reach Tengboche on dance day.

Other Sherpa festivals

Losar, the Tibetan and Sherpa New Year, falls in February or March, with family feasts, new prayer flags and monastery visits. Dumji, held around June and July in villages such as Namche, Khumjung and Thame, honours Guru Rinpoche with dances and village feasts. Both are local celebrations and fall outside the main trekking seasons, but if you are in the Khumbu at the time you will be warmly welcomed.

How to be a good guest

Sherpa hospitality is famous, and a few simple habits show respect: walk clockwise around stupas and to the left of mani walls; ask before photographing people, monks and ceremonies; take off your shoes and hat inside monasteries; don’t touch religious objects or point your feet at altars; dress modestly; and leave a small donation in the box when you visit a gompa. During Mani Rimdu, sit where the monks direct you, don’t stand in front of the dancers, and keep the flash off.

The best way to understand Sherpa culture is to travel with a Sherpa guide. Our guides grew up in these valleys and are happy to take you into the monasteries they know, explain the rituals and introduce you to their families’ lodges. Read more about the villages on the route in our Everest region guide.