Chotrul Duchen is the Tibetan Buddhist festival on the first full moon after Losar that is also called the Butter Lamp Festival.
The festival is known in Tibetan as Chötrul Düchen, meaning “Miracle Manifestation Great Day.” It occurs on the 15th day of the first lunar month, bringing the 15-day period of Losar-related celebrations and the Buddha’s miracles at Shravasti to its climax.
Tibetan Buddhists traditionally light butter lamps, originally made with yak butter and now often made with vegetable ghee. The lamps may be shaped into flowers, deities, animals, or auspicious symbols, and monasteries and communities sometimes build elaborate illuminated displays.
Chotrul Duchen is one of four major Tibetan Buddhist düchen festivals. Monlam Chenmo, the Great Prayer Festival, is a related observance that takes place around the same season, but it is not the canonical name for the Butter Lamp Festival. Lhabab Duchen commemorates the Buddha’s return from heaven, while Saga Dawa marks his birth, enlightenment, and death.