| Description |
Lha-soel (Lha means local deity and soel means offerings) is the ritual performed annually seeking assistance and blessing from the local deities with the offering and recitation of religious scriptures. Unlike rituals in other places in western Bhutan depending on the need and purposes, the people of Bem si-si, under Toebesa Gewog (block) perform this Lha-soel annually mostly towards the end of the year beginning from October till December month with the presence of the entire family members.
As far as history is concerned there is no exact date of origin of this ritual. However, the village households herein perform Lha-soel that is passed down from the forefathers. This ritual originated from the Bonism commonly known as Nak-choe (ritual requiring animal sacrifices) wherein animals such as pigs and oxen were slaughtered for the offering. However, on later dates as per respondents, with blessing and order from the 70th Je-Khenpo (Chief Abbot) Trulku Jigme Chhoeda (1955- ) to avoid killing animals for the purpose of the rituals. The locals in Bem si-si started to offer butter, cheese, and fruits unlike before who used to offer meat, lungs, and blood along with the ritual cakes.
Oral traditions say that Lha-soel is considered the most festive occasion of an individual household to gather all the family members who are now in challenge due to expenditures and lack of manpower. However, people in villages believe that these ritual practices are embedded in the lifestyles and traditions for ensuring prosperity, wealth, and long life besides the adoption of it as a medium for the higher Buddhist spiritual message, thus, individual households never fail to perform despite the challenges.
The challenges the Lha-soel undergo is accrued that the too many of the present generations are engaged in the schools, colleges, and universities and gives priority to the curriculum in schools that lacks the knowledge of this very ritual in particular. Therefore, the children, unlike in the past who resided in villages, knew and easily inherited the cultural and traditional legacies of their time which decline today. Even though the majority of the younger population resides in the urban areas, therefore, only the older people are left in the villages observing rituals on behalf of all the family members.
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| Social and cultural significance |
Lha-soel in Bem si-si is wholly sponsored by individual households mostly for the wellbeing of the families as a ritual of propitiation dedicated to tutelary deities.
The significance of Lha-soel in Bem si-si stands out mainly to appease local deities for their longevity and blessing with bumper harvest and wealth in the household and to the community. It is also intended for their good health, success and comfort for all year round along with the safety of the entire beings from their respective deities. It is also to seek forgiveness for the sins committed knowingly and unintentionally. Although it is individual household performance, the community gathers for blessings and support as a community vitality from Buddhist perspectives.
Lha-soel in Bem si-si community is performed for almost a day as per Bhutanese calendar in between the month of October and December in individual households. It is probable that timing of performances differs because of the nature it is performed and giving regard to the conveniences of the Hosting Household.
As mentioned above Lha-soel in Bem si-si is for more of individual household purpose which is felt necessary to appease deities and also to seek blessing and prepare for the way forward for the coming. Very interesting and unique is that few house hold has young ladies and girls known for having Lha (Deity) with them, so because of having Lha with them they have to sit for blessing during the time of Lha-soel. On the other hand, this woman holds a ritual cake on their head placed by the Nel-jorm during the performance in order to invoke the Lha in them. They perform Lha-soel for around 2-3hrs and ushers Lha to Yangkhang (Room that stores valuables) of the house where the ritual cake is dismantled after next three days and given to people as blessing.
Elderly people say that if the individual household fails to perform at least in a year, the lives of the family would not be prosperous in that year. So, they hold a belief that every family member must attend this ritual. If any family members can’t attend it because of time and distance, these family members ensure that they reach their offerings called Nyendhar (Cash Offering) to offer on their behalf by other family members present on the ritual day to prevent from this misfortune and calamities.
Another reason for the Lha-soel includes preserving the culture as it has become a part of people’s life. It is generally a preventive and appeasement measure as rituals are conducted with the aim to appease deities and gods to cure sickness and drive away evil spirits. The purpose of such ritual is that when people face serious illness individuals often display more outward signs of devotion to their religion where people frequently attend to religious concerns within religious communities through the use of traditional religious practices, beliefs and values that reflect the cumulative traditions of their religious faith. Moreover, the significance of this ritual is so much into the lives of people of the Bem si-si Community. Since these community rituals are found important to be performed annually, their process and performances along with preparation trend is not far from requiring to document earlier for future existence and not to compromise the sorts of rich blessings provided by the local deities.
The purpose of performing Lhas-oel is mainly to appease local deities for their longevity and blessing with bumper harvest and wealth. They pray for their good health, success and comfort all year round along with the safety of the entire beings from their respective deities. It is also to seek forgiveness for the sins committed knowingly and unintentionally. Further, it is to appreciate the dharma protectorate and to appease them with offerings.
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| Transmission method |
Since Lha-soel is performed annually when all family members gather, the procedures and formalities of preparations for the ritual are learned by younger family members as they are also equally involved in it. This is how younger family members are taking charge of such ritual performances in the future in the form of skills and knowledge. They also learn about the required materials for rituals besides learning to confirm dates from the astrologers. While for performances, the female shamanist as per scriptures. There is no documentation about this ritual and Buddhist scriptures.
Preparation of ritual Cakes
Regarding the preparation of ritual cakes, there is a difference as compared to past days. Though the techniques are the same but materials used in preparation have a lot of modern materials. The materials used in preparation of ritual cakes are as mentioned below:
i. Today many people use Atta and media (Wheat flour) from the market. But rich families use their own rice and wheat flour to make ritual cakes.
ii. In the past they used cow butter and natural color to decorate the ritual cakes which are produced from local plants and earth but now the people have become more convenient with the coming of modern color (water color) and imported butter (Dalda).
iii. Cakes are placed on a plank as a seat.
Process and Functions
i. Before the Lha-soel, the hosting households make sure that all the items or the necessities required for the rituals are ready and also the village Astrologer or the “Tsip” is consulted to select the most favorable day for the Lha-soel. In the meantime, they should announce the day of Lha-soel to the villagers and other people.
ii. As per the astrologer’s order, the female shamanist is invited a day before the celebration of Lha-soel to guide in the preparation.
iii. The actual Lha-soel is being performed quite early in the evening.
iv. It starts with tea and Zaw (fried rice grains) before the celebration, unlike offering porridge in our normal Lo-choe.
v. So the Nel-jorm alone prepares for the day from the very morning with making of Torma (Ritual Cake) and fixing of Tshog (Mixed Junks and Sweets) for the offering in the Tshog Peders (Offering Bowl)
vi. Usually the Lha-soel is being performed in the Alter room.
vii. And then she invites all the family members in the alter room to start the performance.
viii. Nel-jorm wears a Rig-nga (as a head gear) on her head and a read Robe knotted over her left Shoulder.
ix. During the performance, the Nel-jorm speaks more focused on warding off diseases, epidemics and to ensure family productivity, proficiency and prosperity. In addition to that she also invoke some spirit in her, where she can predict what will happen in the coming year and also what are the protection.
x. In between her performance, an elderly man or the women in the family puts up questions to the Nel-jorm to clarify and seek blessing and way forwards for the family.
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| Community |
All the households in Bem si-si are the custodian of Drukpa Kagyue (Type of Tibetan Buddhist School) religion but also observes and performs Lha-soel strictly. It is performed by a female shamanist known as Nel-jorm. It is said that the people in Bem si-si take turn in observing the Lha-soel each year, but today each household performs Lha-soel in their own house separately then the common celebration. There is no history about where the people in the community came from and how they settled there.
With Nyingma tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism widely flourished in the Bhutan before, apart from the archaic practices surviving in the form of folk beliefs, rituals and cultures, there is hardly any historical documentation of the religious developments, principles and practices before the advent of Buddhism. They practiced based on what is passed onto them by their great grand ancestors, what they know and as per the Buddhist texts of ritual.
Data collected by: Mr. Namgay Dorji, Teacher, Dechentsemo Higher Secondary School, Punakha |
