|
Festivals
|
In Ladakh every occasion
marriage, birth, harvesting, commemoration of head Lamas founding
of the monastery, Losar (new year) and flowering is marked
by feasting, dancing and the singing of folksongs that forms
a part of its living heritage. Most of the festivals are held
in winter but some popular festival take place in summer too.
The monastic festivals are the heart of all the festivals.
They are performed by Monks wearing colorful silk garments
and different facial mask.
|
Hemis
Festival
Hemis festival is one of the most famous monastic festivals
in June to commemorate birth of Guru Padmasambhava, the founder
of Tantric Buddhism in Tibet. The sacred dance drama of the
life and mission is performed wearing facial masks and colorful
brocades robes. The three-day festival takes place from 9th
to 11th. Especially the monkey year festival, which comes
in a cycle of 12 years. During it the four-storey thanka of
Guru Padma Sambhava is hung in the courtyard and other precious
thankas are also exhibited.
|
Thiksey,
Karsha and Spituk Gustor
Gustors take place at Thiksey, Spituk and
Karsha in different months of the year. The festival takes
place for two days. The celebration is to mark the victory
over evils. The mask worn by the dancers represent the Guardians,
Protectors and the Gods and Goddesses. The festival ends with
the symbolic assassination of evils and burning of the effigy
of evils.
|
Dosmochey
Dosmochey is celebrated in Leh (Leh Palace),
Liker (Lower Ladakh) and Deskit (Nubra valley) monasteries
in February. The most famous among all is Leh Dosmochey, which
is celebrated for two days in the courtyards of the Leh palace.
The monks from different monasteries perform the Chams every
year turn by turn. The festival takes place in the end and
starting of the Tibetan New Year. The monks of Takthok monastery
prepares the offering with Thread crosses which binds all
the evil, hungry ghosts and guard against natural disaster
in the coming year. On the second day of the festival, the
offerings are taken out of the town in a procession and burn
it while people whistle to chase away the evil spirits.
|
Matho Nagrang
Matho Nagrang is celebrated on the 15th day of the 1st month
of Tibetan calander, at Matho monastery, the only monastery
of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism. During these two
days of festival mask dances are performed by monks of the
monastery wearing colorful silk brocaded robes and mask in
different forms of God and Goddesses. The festival is famous
because of appearance of the two oracles during the festival
after full month meditation in complete isolation. The two
oracles appear in the courtyard accompanying mask dancers
and predict future events and people from far and away come
to seek advice to perform ritual to tackle with disasters.
|
Stok Guru Tsechu
The monks of Stok and Spituk monasteries also celebrate Stok
Gruru Tsechu for two days with mask dances performed. It is
also held in Feb. around a week before the Matho Nagrang.
During the festival two oracle appears, but they are laymen
from the same village prepared by monks to receive the spirit
of the deities.
|
Phyang Tsedup
Phyang Tsedup takes place in July / August. Like other monasteries,
monks wearing colorful brocade robes and Mask in the form
of different god and goddesses perform mask dances. The huge
thanka of Skyoba Giksten Gonbo is hung in the courtyard during
the festival.
|
Yuru Kabgyat
The 2-day festival takes place in July in Lamayuru monastery
around 125 kms. from Leh. Monks like other monastic festival
perform mask dances. During the festival monks perform prayer
and rituals to get rid of disaster and peace in the world.
|
Losar
Celebration
The Losar (New Year) celebration is followed by Galdan Namchot,
the birth anniversary of Tsogkha pa who introduced Gelukpa
School of order. During Namchot people illuminate their houses,
monasteries and mountains and make offerings in the houses
and monasteries.
The Losar festival is celebrated in the eleventh month of
Tibetan calendar, two months ahead of Tibetan New Year. In
early 17th century, King Jamyang Namgyal decided to lead an
expedition against the Baltistan forces in winter; therefore
he decided to celebrate the festival two months before. Later
it became a tradition and being celebrated in the eleventh
month.
The festival lasts for around a month, during which Gods,
deities, ancestors and even the animals are fed without fail.
Images of Ibex are made as auspicious symbol, walls of the
kitchens are dotted and are believed to bring prosperity in
coming year. The Metho (procession of fire) is thrown out
chanting slogans and chasing hungry ghosts and evil spirits,
and they return with rocks of ice as auspicious symbol and
these are kept in the store. In some villages there is a tradition
of making Old men and women, from this snow which last for
a week. Over all the Losar all children and young and olds
enjoy and celebrate the festival. All family members get together
to celebrate if someone missing will have their cups filled
with tea by their name.
|
Sindhu
Darshan (Visit Indus) Festival
Sindhu Darshan is three-day festival held from 1st to 3rd
June, in Shey Manla around 8 kms. from Leh on the bank of
Indus river. For the first time it was organized in October
1997, as a symbol of unity and Communal harmony and national
integration. Whilst promoting domestic tourism in Ladakh.
It is also a symbolic salute to brave soldiers of India who
have been fighting not only with enemies in the in the human
form but also in the form of nature.
During this festival artists from different parts of the country
perform traditional dances and people from all religions,
castes and regions participate.
|
Ladakh
Festival
Ladakh festival takes place in September 1-15 every year in
Leh and villages. The inauguration ceremony takes place in
Leh on large scale with the procession of various cultural
troupes from different part of Ladakh. It passes through Leh
Market dancing, singing with traditional music, in colorful
traditional Ladakhi dresses, and finishes at Polo ground after
performing their best dances and songs. The festival last
for 15 days with regular program in different villages. The
program includes Archery, Polo, and Mask Dances from the monasteries,
traditional dances by cultural troupes from Villages. There
are series of musical concert and dance program in Leh town.
|
