| Description |
Local tradition maintains that Pema Lingpa was looking around Choekhor valley to find a suitable site for his temple when he saw a wild boar digging in the soil. He realized that it was a sign from the enlightened being Dorje Phagmo (deity Vajravarahi) meant to show him the appropriate site. Once the temple was built, during its consecration he instituted a festival dedicated to the guardian deities as a symbol of gratitude. Since the prophecy as well as the ground breaking for Tamzhing temple is believed to have been guided by Dorje Phagmo, the festival is dedicated to her and named Phagla Chodpa.
Sherab Wangdi remembers that before the Lhalung Dratshang community arrived at Tamzhing, there were two different grand festivals at the temple, a drub held in the seventh lunar month and Phagla Chodpa in the eighth lunar month. The monthly rituals, the drub, and the mask dances were organized and performed by the Tamzhing drapa (Lay-monks), while the Phagla Chodpa had been coordinated by the late Lama Phuntsho, who traveled from Trongsa Samchoeling. Before Lama Phuntsho would arrive, the Tamzhing threlpa would construct a temporary residence above the temple. Each morning during the Phagla Chodpa, the mask dancers (champa) and female dancers (maniwa) received the lama in a chibdrel procession that moved toward the temple. Oral tradition maintains that ever since the Tamzhing Phagla Chodpa was founded, the mask dances have been performed by the Tamzhing drapas, while the threlpas have sponsored all the food and drinks from the rehearsal day until the last day of the festival. Initially, the Phagla Chodpa lasted only two days, excluding the mewang and chamjug.
After Lama Phuntsho passed away, the Phagla Chodpa was not performed for nearly seven years (from 1972–1978) due to misunderstandings between the Tamzhing Choeje and the drapas. The drapas settled in other villages for a number of years. Apparently, after some time they came to decide that the festival is an important ancestral tradition to offer gratitude to the local deities. Thus, the drapas approached the late Lyonpo Tamzhing Jagar—then the Minister of Home and Culture—and made a collective pledge to revive the Phagla Chodpa. The minister appreciated their volunteerism and provided new costumes and some masks for the dances. Performances resumed in 1979, this time incorporating some mask dances performed by the Lhalung monastic community. The addition of Lhalung’s mask dances had the effect of extending the two-day-long festival to three days.
Tradition maintains that Tamzhing Choeje has been coordinating Phagla Chodpa and sponsoring one meal during the first day of the festival, while the Tamzhing drapa shouldered responsibility of contributing mask dances, folk dances, and a collectively sponsored meal for the duration of the festival. If the tradition is correct, there has not been a significant change in organizing the Chodpa. In the recent past, at the urging of Sherab Wangdi, local residents made a collective agreement that every household would participate in and contribute to the Phagla Chodpa festival – irrespective of their status as drapa, zurpa or threlpa. Every household has to contribute a man capable of performing mask dances; if a suitable man wasn’t available, a woman has to join as either a maniwa(folk dancer), or as a drangzhapa or dronchongpa (receive guests and serve tea and drink). If there is no one available to volunteer, then that particular household has to be the tsawa (sponsor) for a specific day of the festival.
A tshogpa, or village representative, is appointed to ensure the festival runs smoothly. The Chiwog Tshogpa acts as the chairperson while each village provides a reliable person to act as a representative for his/her respective community. Above all, Sherab Wangdi acts on behalf of Tamzhing Choeje in the role of president and oversees all activities related to the festival. On the ninth day of the eighth month which is the chamjug day, the drapa of Tamzhing village acts as the tsawa for the entire day, sponsoring everything from the early morning zheythug (porridge) until the group dinner. The responsibility then rotates: on the inaugural day (tsukton), Tamzhing Choeje is the sponsor, Kharsum and Konchogsum sponsor on the second day (barton), Tekarzhong sponsors on the concluding day (droeton), and on the thruesol day, Rerebi village is responsible.
There are additional preparations to be completed before the chamjug. Each household has to send one person to help clean and prepare for the mewang. While the preparation in the shrine is done a day before the chamjug day, the final decoration and cleaning of the surrounding takes place on the thruesol day after lunch is served.
a. Day One (9th Day of the Eighth Lunar Month): Chamjug and Mewang
In the morning of the ninth day of the eighth lunar month, the mask dance performers gather at the temple courtyard with their belongings, including a mattress, pillow, blankets, plates and a mug. It is a customary that during the Chodpa both female dancers and mask dancers spend the night away from their families, sleeping instead in designated parts of the temple to maintain purity. After distributing the masks, garments, and necessary implements to the respective mask dancers, the group goes to the ground below the Konchogsum Lhakhang to prepare for the
mewang, or Fire Blessing. A gate is made from fresh pine tree limbs and bunches of fresh juniper branches, and dried wood and bamboo is piled on both sides. Old bamboo baskets and mats are hung on the limbs to help spread the fire. Mantras and scriptures dedicated to the fire god are also inserted into the structure as they are believed to drive away any unseen evil spirits.
The chamjug and Mewang programme ends with that last bey performance, which can take place as late as midnight. According to local oral tradition, the officiants used to visit every household in the villages after the Mewang. Since that was an exhausting event for the lama, gingpa, patselpas and monks, for the last five years they have conducted a performance in the ground instead so as not to exhaust the ritual specialists and dancers by keeping residents up all night, and lastly, to allow for devotees from outside Tamzhing to participate in the Fire Blessing.
b. Day Two (10th Day of the Eighth Lunar Month): Tsukton (Initial day)
The mask dances for the tsukton or the 10th day of the eighth lunar month are presented in the following order:
- Gadpoi Gor Cham (Mask Dance of the Old Man and Senior Atsara), performed by laymen;
- Lang Cham (Mask Dance of the two Oxen), performed by monks;
- Phag Cham (Maks Dance of the Hog), performed by laymen;
- Ju Ging Cham (Stick Dance), performed by monks;
- Dri Ging Cham (Sword Dance), performed by monks;
- Peling Nga Cham (Drum Dance), performed by laymen;
- Guru Tshengyed Cham (Dance of Eight Manifestations of Guru Rinpoche), performed by monks;
- Zhana Nga Cham (Black Hat Dance), performed by laymen.
c. Day Three (11th Day of the Eighth Lunar Month): Barton
On the 11th day of the eighth lunar month, the mask dance programme takes place as follows:
- Gadpoi Gor Cham (Mask Dance of the Old Man and Senior Atsara), performed by laymen;
- Shazam Cham (Dance of Two Stags), performed by monks;
- Shazam Cham (Dance of Four Stags), performed by laymen;
- Yoeluema or Zhauli (Dance of the Evil Spirit), performed by laymen;
- Ju Ging Cham (Stick Dance), performed bby laymen;
- Dri Ging Cham (Sword Dance), performed by laymen;
- Peling Nga Cham (Drum Dance), performed by monks;
- Zhana Phur Cham (Vajrakila Black Hat Dance), performed by laymen;
- Durdhag Cham (Dance of the Charnel Grounds), performed by laymen;
- Shinje Cham (Mask Dance of Yama) performed by monks;
- Tshangpai Ging Cham (Peling Tshangpai Ging), performed by laymen.
d. Day Four (12th Day of the Eighth Lunar Month): Droeton
On the 12th day of the eighth lunar month, the mask dances are conducted as follows:
- Gadpo Gorcham (Dance of the Old man and Senior Atsara), perforemd by laymen;
- Throzam Cham, performed by monks;
- Shinje (Dance of Yama), performed by laymen;
- Durdhag (Dance of the Charnel Grounds), performed by monks;
- Tangra Serkyem (Black Hat Dance Offering Serkyem to the Deities), performed by monks;
- Sangye Lingpai Nga Cham (Drum Dance of Terton Sangye Lingpa), performed by laymen;
- Chendren Ngama (Reception Dance), performed by monks;
- Nodjin Tseumar (Processiona and Blessings from the Guardian Deity Teumar), conducted by monks;
- Tenwang (Procession and Blessings) from the Buddha Amitayus image crafted by Pema Lingpa;
- Pholey Moley (Dance of the Handsome Men and Charming Ladies), performed by laymen.
e. Thruesol (13th Day of the Eighth Lunar Month): Informal Gathering
On the 13th day of the eighth lunar month, the mask dances take place as follows:
- Lhabsang and cleanup (Cleansing ritual)
- Thruesol (spiritual sprinkling of water) |
