Beijing's Olympic torch relay through Lhasa coincided with the Tibetan Buddhist holy month of Saka Dawa. Tibetan Buddhists commemorate the birth and death of the historical Buddha during this month. It is a time for pilgrimages and other acts of devotion; the merits of such acts performed during Saka Dawa are multiplied many times over.
Geoffrey York of the Toronto Globe and Mail was in Lhasa for the torch relay, and reported,
"For two days, the Buddhist pilgrims had been pushed to the sidelines to make room for the Olympic torch relay in Lhasa. The traditional pilgrimage route at the Potala Palace was unceremoniously shut down, in one of many security measures by Chinese authorities, even though a month-long Buddhist festival has drawn thousands of pilgrims to the Tibetan capital."