Asia - Mani Rimdu Festival, Thyangboche Monastery, Nepal
Nov, 1979, Thyangboche
Monastery, in the upper
Late that night, with the full moon shining, we were aroused
from sleep by the long horns. Our sirdar, Ang Kami
came to our tent and led us into the monastery to observe the ceremonies. The rites were much like the Solemn High Mass
of Catholicism, many celebrants, and ritualized singing and incense
offerings. All the monks hold either a
thunderbolt dorje or bells.
The next day was Tshe-wang [Life
Conservation] a public opening ceremony where local farmers brought offerings
as thanks for their harvest, and the monks gave blessing for the next
year. We could also attend the
rehearsals for the upcoming dances. The monks dressed in the most elaborate capes
and hats we’d seen, intricately embroidered with gold. A silver lined skull – cup is brought out to
distribute tshe-chang [life spirit], and then passed
around for everyone to take a drink.
Meanwhile, the locals are filling baskets with torma
for offerings [and used to feed the audience at the performance]. Each basket is brought forward, with
chanting, blessed, then carried out.
Finally, preceded by two horns so large they need noviate
monks to carry the front of them, the lama returns to the monastery.
Just after sunrise, much like the long horn solos of
Siegfried, the long Alpen horns rang out again across
the mountain valleys calling us to the courtyard. Then 2 monks with the smaller, clarinet type
horns climbed to the uppermost cupola and played the final series of calls.
Shortly afterward, the performance began with the Tsam-li-bulu [“Dance of Showing”]. The musical accompaniment consisted of a
variety of horns and
cymbals, and often included cymbals and small drums played by the
dancers. We sat in the balcony, among an everchanging
crowd, mostly of local Nepalese who had come to the monastery for the
festival. As the day proceeded, bamboo
trays of fried snacks, cookies [contributed by westerners] and peanuts would be
passed around, and the monks brought bowls of yogurt with rice.
The crowd overlapped the dance area of the courtyard, and
that contributed to the performance.
Many of the early dances included high whirling kicks, often over the
heads of the spectators. Interspersed
among the dances were comic acts, and a fakir who balanced on the tip of a
sword.
I had brought a book by one of the First American climbers
of Everest, Lute Jerstad, who came back to
The scripted performance ended about sundown and the crowd dispersed for dinner. Then later in the evening many people gathered again in the courtyard for the people’s performance. The locals taught us the simple circle dance. The repetitive steps, monotonous chanting and hot cups of fresh chang created a mystical effect and the perfect ending to a magnificent day.
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