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bhutanese lunar calendar
ICH Elements 9
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Pholha: Ritual to the Deity of Males
Ney village is one of many across Bhutan to observe a Pholha ritual, a seasonal ceremony to appease the local patron deity. Pholha literally means "male god" who protects the area under his control, such as certain parts of the valley. The identity of the guardian varies from region to region, as does the ritual. The Pholha takes place in Ney every year on the 22nd day of the first lunar month according to the Bhutanese calendar. The villagers perform the ritual mainly to appease their local deity and make offerings. Terdag Zora Ra-ky, the patron deity of Ney Tsachu hot spring; Tsan Yawacha-dhuen, the seven deities; and the Zhidag lord of the settlement of Ney village. The ritual mainly consists of sealing or closing the mountains to people for a certain season, this practice known as Rigya Lungya Dam or Ridam intends to avoid disturbance or defilements of the holiness of the deity’s abode as well as the surrounding sacred areas. Ridam is a practice of mountain sealing known in many parts of the mountains. The road to Baeyul Khempajong, a sacred hidden land, and the mountains are closed to people from spring to autumn until the rice harvest. During this time, people are generally not allowed to enter the area to collect natural resources or visit any place in the area. This prohibition is especially strong for outsiders not from the village. On the day of Pholha, they go early in the morning to the Pholha Phodrang, the deity’s residence, which is located above the village, and make offerings to the Terdag Zora Rakye. Afterwards, they return to the Lhakhang, temple, and make the offering to their Zhidag Yawacha-dhuen, who is located below the mountain Khenjey ri, which can be seen from the village. Villagers in Net perform this ritual believing they are at the eastern gate of the secret land of Baeyul Khenpajong. Before reaching the village at a place called Khaiphu, they believe that there is a key to the secret land, and on the way to Khempajong at a place called Juemo, there is a gate in the form of a large stone. To keep these sacred places secure they perform the Pholha ritual every year.
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Chotpa: Annual Ritual Festival
In Ney, a village in Lhuentse, northeast Bhutan, Chotpa gathers villagers together to make offerings to protective deities, dakinis, great teachers, and the protectors of Buddhist practitioners for the prosperous year. The ritual has a literal name that evokes the yearly celebration of a community gathering to make offerings. On 15th day of eleventh lunar month according to the Bhutanese calendar, Ney villagers gather at the local Lhakhang, temple, in the middle of the village. The Chotpa ritual is mainly to thank for the protection and blessing they received during entire year without any problem in their communities. They appease their guardian deities for ensuring well-being, health, and blessing good fortune for entire communities. They also seek protection on agricultural farm from natural disaster, wild animal, and pest in the forthcoming year as well. Chotpa is thus both a religious and social celebration for the year. On the day of Chotpa, people all gather at the lhakhang. Throughout the day, they chant mantras to make amends for wrong doings and to offer gratitude for the blessing and to request for enhanced wealth and peace. While a lack of definitive sources makes it hard to trace the history of this occasion, the community believe that this ritual dates to early human settlement of the region. Community members consider it an important occasion, and it is a tradition which has continued for potentially centuries.
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Dassain: A Festival of Southern Bhutanese
Dassain symbolizes the victory of good/virtue prevailing over evil/falsity. It is the most important festival in Nepal. Since most of the Lotshampas (Southern Bhutanese) originated from Nepal, the southern Bhutanese celebrate it every year in September or in beginning days of October. The date of celebration varies every year which marked as per the Hindu calendar. According to Hindu Mythology, Dassain festival has been celebrated since Lord Ram and Goddess Durga had gotten the victory over Ravan and Mahisharura, the demons who had created terror in the Devaloka (the world where God reside.) consequently, the festival is a way of acknowledging triumph over an evil spirit. Dassain is popularly a celebration within families lasting for 15 days starting from bright lunar fortnight to full moon (Hindu calendar) The days are divided for the activities starting from cleaning, washing to shopping. However, in Bhutan the official declaration of holiday is one day (day of Tika.) The community people explain that the significance of celebrating the festival with families is to honour the unity of Lord Ram’s Monkey army who helped him build the stone bridge to connect Lanka where Sita has been confined. The most memorable of all days of Dassain is the Vijaya Dashami or the Day of Victory. On this day, the families gather to put tika (rice mixed with curd) beginning with the eldest person on the youngest. The person who puts tika also has to give money as a symbol of blessing. In the community level, the Gup, head of the community will be invited to receive the Raja Tika. However, the nature of celebration of Dassain then and now has taken a transformation; earlier all the people of the community used to come together for the grand festive celebration, but nowadays due to the modernization and employment opportunities, many of the family members have migrated to the urban cities or travelled aboard, leaving the celebration only for members present during the occasion.
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Neypo: Seasonal Offering to the Local Deity
The Neypo ritual is a seasonal offering performed across Bhutan to appease local deities, Ney village in Lhuentse to the northeast is one of many villages to perform this ritual. Neypo literally means "Zhidag", a category of deity who protects the area under their control or certain parts of the valley. The identity of the protector figure varies from region to region, as does the ritual. In Ney village, the Neypo ritual is performed every year on the 15th day of the third lunar month of the Bhutanese calendar. The ritual is performed in their Lhakhang, temple, in order to appease the local deity Zhidag Drakpa Gyalpo with offerings. In return, the community asks for his protection of their farms from wild animals. The Zhidag is believed to dwell below the village in a dense forest on the left side of Kurichu. Zhidag Drakpa Gyalpo has a grim appearance with a black face, dark clothes, and a reindeer mount with ten horns. He has one face and two hands; in his right hand he holds a flaming sword and in his left hand he holds a robe or Zhagpa sling. Within a single second he could cover the distance between any two places. Eighth century tantric master Guru Rinpoche (Skt. Padmasambhava) bound Drakpa Gyalpo by oath and made him the protector of the East Gate of the hidden land Baeyul Khempajong, and sworn to be the Dharma protector in the region. During the Neypo ritual, the entrance to the dense forest is sealed off for people which will last for a whole season, which is called Rigya lungya dam or Ridam. Ridam is a common practice of mountain closure in which the path to the Zhidag Phodrang, deity’s abode, and the surrounding dense forest are closed to human access from spring to autumn until the rice harvest. During this period, people are generally not allowed to enter the area to collect natural resources or visit any place in the area. After performing rituals, no one is allowed to go there unless except for exceptional occasions. This restriction applies to outsiders as well as people from the village.
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Prew: Ritual to Commemorate the Birthday of Guru Padmasambavaa
The festival commonly known as Prew is celebrated in the Kurtoe region under Lhuentse Dzongkhag. Originally it was called Treu-choed, or “Monkey Month Offering,” but later became popularly known as Prew. The name Treu is derived from the year of birth of Guru Rinpoche (Skt. Padmasambhava), as he was born in the year of the monkey in the eighth century. The word Choed means "offering." The Prew festival of Kurtoe is associated with Guru Rinpoche, he visited Jasabe village via the hidden land of Baeyul Khenpajong and gave his blessings to the locals. Since then, they have been celebrating this festival out of gratitude to him for the blessings he gave them and their whole community. They also believe that Prew is a festival to honor Guru Rinpoche’s birthday. This festival is celebrated in almost all Gewog village blocks of Lhuentse Dzongkhag or district. The community of Ney celebrates its local festival every year on the 10th day of the fourth lunar month according to the Bhutanese calendar. The festival takes place in the local Lhakhang, temple, in the center of the community, as well as in each individual house. The men often play games such as archery, while the women have a picnic. Prew is similarly celebrated in Jasabe Chiwog at Tergang Lhakhang. On the 9th day of the fourth lunar month of the Bhutanese calendar, people gather at the Lhakhang to perform a ritual and make offerings. The next day, the 10th day of the fourth lunar month, they return to their village with Norjan chants, and spend a day singing and dancing in their village. The festival in part indicates the arrival of the agricultural season. Villagers offer prayers and sacrifices for good health and a good harvest without pest infestations and natural disasters.
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Thangka Bonko: Bon Festival
Bonko is a form of Bon tradition. Bon practices existed in Bhutan in pre-Buddhist times, and were rooted in the worship of nature and the spirits or gods that inhabited it. Bonism originated in Tibet and is characteristic of animistic and shamanistic practices. The Thangka bonko is a celebration in memory of Miwo Tenpa Shenrab (Buddha of Bon), who introduced the Bon tradition to their community. The commemoration is celebrated with religious rites dedicated to and invoking the local deity Zamshingpa. Bonko literally means the practice of Bonpo, who roams the villages, teaching Bonism and blessing the people (Bon kor). Long before the arrival of Buddhism, Bon-nag was a practice that involved the sacrifice of animal life. The Bonko Thangka was a Bon-kar. Although it was a Bon practice, it did not involve animal sacrifice. In the 11th century, the first disciple of Terton (treasure discoverer) Rigzin Jatshen Nyingpo (1585–1656), Terton Dorji Lingpa (1346-1405), established Yu-tog Goenpa (monastery) and established Buddhism in the area. Later, he established his seat in the village of Zhingkana. At present, the deity Zamshingpa is pacified in the Buddhist way in Zhingkana nagtshang. And also during the Bonko, the Pazaps receive their Lha-dhar (giant prayer flag) and Tsan-dhar (deity’s flag) from the Nagtshang (manor of an aristocratic family). It is celebrated for four days, from the 13th to the 16th day of the 11th month of the Bhutanese calendar, by the villagers under Shaba Gewog. The main event is held in an open area in Thangka, locally known as Lha-chim (deity’s shrine). On the 8th day of the 11th month of the lunar calendar, the Lholinga and Jishing Bonko is held in Lholinga village. And on the 11th day of the 11th month of the lunar calendar, the Zhelngo Bonko takes place. On the 15th day, the Thangka Bonko is celebrated.
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Lomba: Indigenous New Year Celebration
Lomba is a popular local New Year celebration observed in the villages of Paro and Haa districts. Lomba is a celebration for the beginning of a New Year, which takes place from the 29th day of the 10th month of the lunar calendar. It is one of the most special annual occasions for the Parops and Haaps, residents of the valleys. The name “Lomba” expresses carrying good luck from one year to another. Ba literally means receiving wealth in one’s hand or to carry something forward, leaving the past behind. Lomba is celebrated by Haaps and Parops as a New Year festival from the 29th day of the 10th month of the lunar calendar. In Haa, Lomba often lasts until the 15th day of the 11th month, while Parops have a shorter celebration until the 2nd day of the 11th month. Although Lomba has been part of the culture of the two valleys for many generations, making it difficult to trace the origin. No specific written text has been found for early observances so far. According to folk understandings, some believe that Lomba began with the arrival of Phajo Drugom Zhigpo in the 13th century, while some believe that it began much earlier when men started working for food. According to Dasho Sangay Dorji (2011), Lomba observed in Paro and Haa districts may be the legacy of the Lhapas, but in some religious texts, the Lomba celebration dates to an influence from Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1594-1651) who consolidated the Bhutanese region into a state in 1649. Himself hailing from Tibet to the north, he first introduced Bhutanese to the celebration of Nyi-lo winter solstice. The day marked the end of the year and welcomed another year of prosperity with bountiful harvest. With adequate food reserve stored on the rooftop, Haaps and Parops began to recognize the day as Lomba and ushered in the beginning of the dry season of winter. Temples and monasteries in the country would have also received the annual provisions of butter, meat, rice and wheat grains on Lomba. Since then, Lomba is celebrated every year, which would make it the earliest New Year festival celebrated in any district of Bhutan.
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Jela Choedpa: Jela Offering
The practice of propitiation and timely offering (Choed-pa means "offering") of food and drink to the deities has long been found in the history of the people of Bhutan. Although most of these ancient practices have not been put into words, many of these sacrificial rituals to nature gods and deities are still practiced in most parts of Bhutan. These beliefs remain strong as people seek protection from evil spirits, sickness, during disease and famine, and wish for blessings and prosperity. The sacrificial ceremony is held annually on the 15th day of the first month of the Bhutanese lunar calendar. The 15th day is considered the most auspicious day of the month. Depending on time availability, the ceremony can also be held on the 10th day of the first month, but the 15th is the preferred day. The Choedpa ceremony takes place on the mountain top where Jela Dzong stands at an altitude of about 3000 meters above sea level. Jela Dzong (fortress) was built in ancient times to defend enemies. Therefore, the whole area is called Jela Dzong. The fortress is under the care of the government and has been converted into a Lhakhang (temple) where a Lam (teacher) has been appointed and some monks study and live under him. There are no human settlements except for the nomads and yak herders who camp nearby and graze their yaks in the meadow. It takes about 5 hours on foot to reach Jela Dzong from the nearest village downhill. In earlier times, this sacrificial ceremony was important for the well-being of the family and the entire household. With the passage of time, this custom has lost its significance. Nowadays, only a handful of people make the effort to pack their belongings and head up the mountain. Changing times have meant that the 5-hour journey to Jela Dzong is considered too arduous and time-consuming. Instead, some people have considered simplifying the ceremony and going to a nearby mountain peak, only an hour and a half away, to perform the ceremony. It is debatable whether this will work, but according to Ap Dorji, villagers seem to admit that it has worked so far. Still, it is obvious that many things have changed and the custom is losing its meaning.
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Bja-wo Karma Nya-ru: Conjunction of the Pleiades and the full moon Festival
In earlier times, Bhutanese traveled as far south as possible to buy salt, spices, and other basic products in the nearest border towns. Pasakha (formerly the southern gateway) was an important business center for the people of western Bhutan because of its proximity to the nearest Indian towns. After an arduous journey of more than 20 days through the high mountains and after nights spent in the cold, dense jungle, the villagers then reached their home, bringing their daily supplies. A young man from the village of Bja-wo once set out for Pasakha to buy supplies. Upon his return, as he prepared to spend the night in the forest, he lay down under a large tree, placed the heavy basket under his head to rest, and stared up at the sky. He saw the bright moon almost smiling at him and the stars twinkling around him. He thought about the number of nights he would have to spend like this, and wondered if the stars and moon would keep him company during his journey home. He continued his journey home during the day, spending each exhausting night under bushes and trees. Each evening he looked up at the sky and noticed that the brightest star seemed to get closer and closer to the moon each night. When he returned home a few days later, the young man, suspecting an interesting observation in the sky, wanted to know how close the star had come to the moon. The following night, he looked up at the sky and found that the star had come so close to the moon that it almost looked like it was interacting with the moon (this was the narrator's exact interpretation). It was a unique discovery that symbolized a happy moment. Incidentally, the day he made this discovery was the 15th of the 10th month, one of the most auspicious holy days in the Bhutanese lunar calendar. Therefore, the festival of Bja-wo Karma Nya-ru (conjunction of the Pleiades and the full moon) is believed to have originated in Bja-wo village and is still celebrated with great enthusiasm. Nowadays, it is also popularly known as Dogar Nya-ru. Nya-ru is celebrated on the 15th day of the 10th month of the Bhutanese lunar calendar and is considered a special occasion where family and friends scattered all over Bhutan gather on this day and celebrate the auspicious day in each and every home with festivity and joy. On the 13th and 14th day of the 10th month, people who work in the cities, students, businessmen, relatives and basically all people who are from the village gather to celebrate Nya-ru. In this village of Nyo-yue dhuen (old name) or Khamda Sali Chiwog (sub-block) as it is commonly known today, people prepare for the big event by washing their clothes, cleaning themselves, tidying their houses and the men discuss archery that will take place during Nya-ru while the women prepare the menu for the special day in the house and make preparations for Ara (locally brewed wine) and other drinks.
Bhutan