Khata
| Khata | |||||||||||||||
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A Tibetan khata | |||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 哈達 | ||||||||||||||
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| Tibetan name | |||||||||||||||
| Tibetan | ཁ་བཏགས་ | ||||||||||||||
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| Mongolian name | |||||||||||||||
| Mongolian Cyrillic | хадаг | ||||||||||||||
| Mongolian script | ᠬᠠᠳᠠᠭ | ||||||||||||||
| Nepali name | |||||||||||||||
| Nepali | खतक khatak | ||||||||||||||
| Dzongkha name | |||||||||||||||
| Dzongkha | བཀབ་ནས | ||||||||||||||
| Buryat name | |||||||||||||||
| Buryat | хадаг khadag | ||||||||||||||
| Tuvan name | |||||||||||||||
| Tuvan | кадак kadak | ||||||||||||||
| Kyrgyz name | |||||||||||||||
| Kyrgyz | حاداق хадак hadak | ||||||||||||||
A khata /ˈkætə/ or khatag is a traditional ceremonial scarf in Tibetan Buddhism and in Tengriism. It is widely used by the Tibetan, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Ladakhi, Mongolian, Buryat, and Tuvan peoples on various occasions. It originated in Tibetan culture and is common in cultures and countries where Tibetan Buddhism is practiced or has strong influence. The practice of using khatas has influenced people of other communities too who are in close relation to these communities. It is predominantly used in Tibet, followed by other parts of the world. It is a symbol of honour and respect. It is used in Tibetan religious ceremony and in traditional dances, and is offered in monasteries and in temples.
In Nepal, a khata is used as a gift for various occasions like wedding, graduation, electoral victory, winning an award and several other major lifestones. Generally, the guests or invitees at the reception would put khata on the host of such parties. It is used by both Hindus and Buddhists of Nepal in that manner.