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virgins
ICH Elements 4
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Sang: A-shey Lhamo
A unique female-dominated performance held only on the 8th and 9th day of the 7th lunar month in the two communities of Ura-ma-krong (main village of Ura) and Shingkhar, the farthest settlement under Ura gewog (block) in Bumthang Dzongkhag (district). In Ura dialect, Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is usually called Saang (smoke offering). It is said that in the old days, when there were yak herders who usually came from their village to raise the yaks at Purshey la (one of the mountains overlooking Ura village), they welcomed the female performers by burning sang at Korgang (the place believed to be the place where the deity descends or dwells and where the female performers circumambulate the stupa). Hence, community members refer to the festival as Sang or Sang na gai-sang (on the way to the Sang offering). Another interpretation states that the female participants begin their offering by making various medicinal herbs and other fresh offerings go up in smoke while appeasing the main female deity named A-shey Lhamo and her entourage, namely Gawa Lhamo, Kiba Lhamo, Champa Lhamo, and Dropa Lhamo. However, in addition to the aforementioned attendant goddesses, Shingkhar A-zhi (pronounced locally) Lhamo has Lam-dron Lhamo forming five attendant goddesses. Therefore, the festival and performance were called Sang from the first offering. The other name of the festival, A-shey Lhamo, is interpreted literally by outsiders and some learned community members as the lyrics of the religious song sung and danced in honor of the deity A-shey Lhamo. Colloquially, the term A-shey is addressed to either the queen or the elder sisters, and Lhamo is a general term for the divine goddess. The origin of Sang or A-shey Lhamo is that during the Dung Lhawang Rabgay (local ruler), not long before the emergence of the Dung caste system in Bhutan around the 10th-11th century, there was a misfortune of Shey-ned (diarrheal infection) that spread among the children of the Ura community. People sought the advice of their ruler as there was no tradition of performing rituals or treatments. Thus, Dung Lhawang introduced Drakpa, who had a divine bloodline, to appease the female local deity by performing dances. He composed the lyrics in the typical Ura dialect and ordered that they be performed by female members of the community. The Lord also determined the place: Pur-shey la (written Pur-gyal la) along with the things to be sacrificed and also the steps. Following the advice, the women performed the dance, which gradually helped the children recover from the epidemic. After that, the performance of A-shey Lhamo was practiced. According to the origin, A-shey Lhamo and the goddesses accompanying her are both the deities of the place and deities of the Bon khar tradition. Perhaps they are the other form of Tshering chey nga (the five sisters of longevity) who appeared in the Bon tradition before they were introduced by Guru Padsambava as the tutelary deity of Buddhism, just as many Bonpo deities were later transformed as protectors of the sacred teachings of the Buddha. In the poetry of A-shey Lhamo, it is mentioned that they reside in the high mountains Gang-toed thoen po. The road to their citadel is like a mule track, filled with the sweet fragrance of Ba-loo (Rhododendron ciliatum) and Su-loo (Rhododendron setosum). She delights in the first share of Mar-chang Ara (locally brewed wine) and Kara and Buram (honey and brown sugar) and sits down on the white sheepskin mat. She resides gracefully in a palace of precious gems with golden columns and silver windows. Apart from the above description of her residence, there is no text describing her appearance, only the names of her sisters and the goddess herself. This ICh element is still alive in Ura and Singkhar communities. However, there are some changes: The sang is now prepared and offered by themselves since there are no more highlanders at Pur-shey la, and the other is that, according to tradition, the sang is generally performed on the 8th and 9th day of the lunar month but, the community members decided to either coordinate the festival on 15th day if the time and weather is not favourable.
Bhutan -
Chubja Tsan-choed: Invoking the Local Deity of Chubja Community
The term Tsan-choed means invoking or appeasing the deity and making various offerings in honor of the deity. Chubja Tsan-choed is an event celebrated by the communities of Bje-shigang, Damchena, Chubja-kha and Hungrel-kha. On this occasion, people from these communities pay their respects to the deity by making offerings to it, thus asking for further protection from the deity for the following year. Tsan is a local patron deity of a particular community who is worshipped by the people for their protection and welfare. These deities are often worshipped as Ke-lha (worshipped from birth as a protective deity) and Yue-lha (deity of a specific community). In addition to the specific dates designated to pacify the deity, people visit and offer prayers during illnesses, deaths, births, long journeys, or times of misfortune. The deity is also invoked by women who are barren and request the deity's blessing for a child. Often, after the woman becomes pregnant, the child relies on the deity for protection during its birth. Chubja Tsan (local deity), known as Tashi Pema/Pema Dendup, is considered deaf but endowed with the power to bestow worldly blessings. According to oral sources, the reason for his deafness was that Chubja Tsan and the Tsan of Zache-kha village had conflicts and quarreled long ago (the cause is not known). The Zache-kha Tsan hit the Chubja Tsan on his ear and made him deaf, while in return the Chubja Tsan hit the Zhache-kha Tsan on his eyes and made him blind. For this reason, even today, the people from Zhache-kha light a fire during the Tsan-choed (ritual to invoke the local deities), while the people from Chubja have to make loud "oooo" sounds in front of the Tsan's home. And the people of the two communities do not visit each other's Lhakhangs (temples). The timing of the Tsan-choed depends on the purpose of its patrons, but for Kay-lha it takes place twice a year; the first time immediately after the Paro Tshechu (Mask Dance Festival, which occurs in the third lunar month) and the second time during the autumn season. In the latter offering, a Phued (first share) of the harvest is usually offered to express gratitude for the blessing of a bountiful harvest while asking for his protection in the future.
Bhutan -
Suối Mỡ Temple Festival
Suối Mỡ Temple Festival is held on March 30 and April 1 of the lunar calendar every year at Suối Mỡ Temple, to honor the Three Holy Mothers, especially Princess Quế Mỵ Nương, daughter of the 16th Hùng King. He was instrumental in opening the Stream, helping people clear the land, and creating water for people to cultivate. Right from the early morning of the 1st, 25 processions of villages in Nghĩa Phương commune gathered at Đảo Nổi to attend the opening of the festival. After that, the procession from the villages to the temples (Thượng, Trung, Hạ) in the Suối Mỡ relic complex. First, there is a ceremony at Dùm village communal house and the procession of the tutelary god's ordination and tablet to Suối temple. The procession passes through Cây Xanh temple and then to Hạ temple. At the same time, Quỷnh village also took the procession from Quỷnh communal house west of Suối Mỡ, through Hàn Lâm village to Trung temple to hold the ceremony. When the procession arrives at Hạ Temple, the offerings are made. Palanquin processions were previously led by virgins, or young ladies. The male and female Mandarin worship teams, as well as the villagers, lead the procession of palanquins with hammocks, floats, parasols, regalia, and other elaborately decorated outfits. The highlight of the Suối Mỡ temple festival is the ritual of singing literature and worshiping the saints of the villages. The festival has many folk games such as pounding day cake, archery competition, traditional martial arts performances, blindfolded pot smashing, chess, checkers, etc.
Viet Nam -
Ponagar Temple Festival in Nha Trang
Also known as the Thiên Y A Na Festival or the Feast of the Virgins, takes place every year from March 20-23, commemorating the merits of Goddess Ponaga. The rituals include: Changing of clothes - bathing the statue and changing new clothes for the god according to separate rituals. Water and towels used to bathe the statue are requested by people to get blessings. The ceremony to release lanterns on the river to pray for the spirits. The ceremony to pray for national peace and prosperity is performed by the Buddhist Church. Worshiping ceremony, offering food. Traditional rituals. Khai Dien ceremony, Ton Vuong ceremony - a must-have ritual when singing at Thap Ba festival. Incense Offering Ceremony. In particular, Ball dancing and Van singing take place during festivals, becoming a special activity. The water procession contest and the display of fruit trays to offer to the Mother Mother are also a unique activity of the festival.
Viet Nam