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LEPCHA FESTIVALS
Despite their conversion to Buddhism, Lepchas continue
to celebrate many of their ancient festivals. These are
usually occasion for great feasting, sometimes lasting
as long as three nights. Not surprisingly, therefore,
most of the festivals take place in the autumn and
winter months when the harvest has been brought in and
it is a time of plenty.
Namsoon-Nambun
This festival celebrates the harvest and the advent of
the New Year. It falls on the tenth month of the Tibetan
calendar (corresponding to December). People gather to
enjoy the harvest and pray for a prosperous New Year.
The Feast of the River Gods
The confluence of the Tista and the Rangit rivers is a
holy sport for the Lepchas. And every year during
December-January, the Lepchas gather here from distant
places to celebrate the feast of the river gods. Young
girls and boys take a dip in the river then sing and
dance late in the night, celebrating the great love of
these two rivers.
Buddhist Festivals
The monasteries are the venue for the Buddhist festivals
which in terms of spectacle and grandeur, are unmatched.
The Buddhist calendar is studded with many festivals and
ceremonies throughout the year and many are celebrated
in Sikkim with great pomp and splendor. The monasteries
are the venues of these celebrations and the people come
from distant places to witness them. At many of these
festivals, chaams are performed. These are masked dance
dramas with liturgical significance, performed in the
monasteries by monks. The ornate masks and costumes are
of resplendent color and the dances are finely
choreographed sequences requiring skill, training and
vigor.
Drukpa Tsechi
The festival celebrates Buddha's preaching of the first
sermon at Sarnath. It falls on the 4th of the 6th
Tibetan month (roughly, August). In Gangtok it is marked
by Prayers at the Deer Park. And in Muguthang, situated
in the remote Lhonak in North Sikkim, there are prayers
followed by a yak race.
Bum-Chu
The festival is celebrated at Tashiding in January /
February. During this festival, the pot containing the
holy water is opened by the lamas. The level of water in
the pot foretells the future of the coming year: brimful
foretells bloodshed and disturbances; if the pot is
almost dry famine is predicted; and if the pot is
half-full then it promises a year of peace and
prosperity. A part of the holy water is distributed
among the pilgrims and then the pot is sealed until the
next year.
Tse-Chu
This is an important chaam of the Ruktek Dharma Chakra
Centre. It falls on the tenth day of the fifth Tibetan
month. It presents the eight manifestations of the Guru
Rimpoche. The masked dances celebrate various episodes
from his life and his battle against de demons of the
Bon tradition.
The Kagyet Dance
This dance is performed two days before Losoong at
Tsuklakhang and are also celebrated at Phodang. This
religious dance-drama enacts various themes from the
Buddhist mythologies and culminates with the burning of
effigies made of flour, wood and paper symbolizing the
destruction of evil by the forces of good. The
participants are always monks from the monastery and the
performance is accompanied by liturgical music and
chanting. Prior to the dance prayers are held in the
chapel and for the thousands who flock to see the dance,
worship as well as participation is itself an act of
worship as well as participation in the exorcising of
evil and ushering in the prosperous new year. The solemn
nature of the dances is interspersed with comic relief
provided by prancing jesters.
Pang Lhabsol
This festival is unique to Sikkim and celebrates the
consecration of Mount Kangchendzonga into Buddhist
region. It also is a commemoration of the blood
brotherhood sworn the Lepchas and the Bhutias at Kabi.
The chaams which accompany this festival are
spectacular, and the warrior dance or pangtoed dance
especially is superbly choreographed. Kangchendzonga is
represented as wearing a red mask wreathed with five
human skulls, in top of which are planted flags and
riding a snow lion. Yabdu, the mountain's chief
commander, wears a black mask. The warriors who
accompany him wear the traditional Sikkimese battle
dress with helmets, shields and swords. The dramatic
entry of Mahakala who commands Kangchendzonga and Yabdu
to defend the faith and bring peace and prosperity to
Sikkim. A week prior to the chaams, the lamas of
Pemayangtse monastery offer prayers to Kangchendzonga
asking it to protect the land and look after the people.
The festival is held on the fifteenth day of the seventh
month of the Tibetan calendar, corresponding to late
August/early September.
Saga Dawa
The fourth month of the Tibetan calendar (approximately
early May), is an auspicious month for the Sikkimese
Buddhists and prayers are held throughout the period in
various monasteries. On the full moon from this month ,
the Buddha is supposed to have been born, attained
Buddhahood and achieved Nirvana. This is the day of the
main celebration. A colorful procession of monks go
around the major thoroughfares of Gangtok with the holy
Kangyur texts. Similar processions, invariably beginning
from the gompas, are taken out the villages.
Losoong
This is a festival marked with great gaiety. The Black
Hat dances take place at this festival commemorating the
victory over evil. These chaams are held at Enchey,
Ralong, Phodang and Rumtek monasteries two days prior
Losoong.
Losar
This is the Tibetan new year and is celebrated with
festivities and chaams depicting the ritualized
destruction of evil by good being performed at
Pemayangtse and Rumtek Dharma Chakra.
Lhabab Deuchen
This festival symbolizes the descent of the Buddha from
the 33rd heaven after visiting his mother to convert her
to the Dharma. It falls on the 22nd days of the 9th
month of the Tibetan calendar.
NEPALESE FESTIVALS
The major Nepalese festivals are festivals of the Hindu
calendar. However, the Nepalese add their own color to
these festivals so that their celebration in Sikkim is
not identical to their observation in the plains, and
thus unique.
Dashain
This festival generally falls during the month of
October and celebrates the slaying of the demon
Mahisasura by the Goddess Durga - symbolic of the
destruction of evil by the forces of good. While this is
the same as the Dussehra festival in other parts of
India, the Nepalese have added the tika ceremony - a
holy sign of blessing, usually a mixture of curd, rice
and vermillion, put on by the elders of the family on
the foreheads of the younger members
Tihar
Corresponding to the Diwali festival in other parts of
India, this is generally celebrated a fortnight after
Dasai and symbolizes the return of the epic hero Rama
from his fourteen-year exile. According to legend he
reached his kingdom during the new moon and hence people
lighted lamps to dispel the darkness. The Nepalese
celebrate this festival for five days and boys known as
Daoisi visit neighboring houses singing dewsi for small
tips.
Chaiti Dashain
This marks the birth of Rama and is celebrated as the
Nepalese New Year. The festival falls during April.
Bhai Tika
Usually celebrated on the fifth day of Tihar - a
ceremony during which sisters put sandalwood tika on
their brother's forehead and bless them with a long life
and happiness.
Maghey Sankranti
Held in January, this is a major secular festival for
the Nepalese and celebrates the change of seasons as the
sun shifts towards the Tropic of Cancer. During the
ceremony, a bathing festival called Makkar is observed,
when people take a dip at the confluence of the Tista
and Rangit. Traditionally, this bathing commemorates the
time when Gurkha soldiers bathed at the confluence to
wash away the blood stains after a victorious battle. |
