Buddhist Festivals

Since I'm travelling around North East India at the moment and have been visiting some rather interesting and peaceful/lively Buddhist Gompas or Monasteries - peaceful as only very ancient places set high on the mountain-tops can be and lively as only very young and very modern Lamas can make them - I have been taking a deeper look at Buddhism. I already knew, of course, the usual facts about the life of the Buddha and the later spilt in the Buddhist Ideology that led to the formation of the Hinayana (southern) and the Mahayana (Northern) schools, but Tibetan Buddhism and the various Buddhist festivals that are celebrated in these parts are new knowledge.

Buddhism was brought to Tibet by Guru Padmasambhav. Before that a religion known as 'Bon' founded by a certain Shenrab Mibo flourished in Tibet. I'm still trying to find out what exactly 'Bon' was about, but it must have fulfilled the people's needs well enough and they were not willing to relinquish it completely in favor of the new Buddhist religion. So a compromise was reached and 'Bon' and Buddhism joined forces. This gave rise to the Red Hat Sect of Buddhism. The Red Hat Sect is made up of three lineages - the Nijengma (founded by Guru Padmasambhav), the Kargyu (founded by Marpa), and the Sakhya (founded by Khon Konechog Gyalpo). Further reforms by the teacher Atisha led to the transformation of the Red Hat Sect into the Kadampa Sect. The Kadampa in its turn was reformed by the teacher Tsong-Khe-pa and this led to the rise of the Yellow Sect. The Yellow Sect has only the Gelugpa lineage. Aside from the different founders, these sects have different rituals and rules. But the sacred books, the Tanjur (the original teachings of the Buddha) and the Kanjur (the teachings of the commentaries on the original teachings) are the same for all.

There are nine important festivals in Tibetan buddhism :
1. Saga Dawa
2. Drukpa Teshi
3. Guru Rinpoche's Trungka Tsechu
4. Lhabab Dhuecheu
5. The Kalchakra Pooja
6. Losar
7. Losoong and the Chaams
8. Phang Lhabsol
9. Bumchu

1. Saga Dawa : This festival takes place between May end and early June - the fourth month of the year according to the Tibetan calendar - and is held at the time of the full moon. It is the most important of the Buddhist festivals since it commemorates the day on which, at different periods, the Buddha was born, achieved Enlightenment, and attained Nirvana.

2. Drukpa Teshi : Held on the fourth day (Teshi) of the sixth month (Drupka) of the Buddhist calendar (around August), Drupka Teshi celebrates the first preaching of the four Noble Truths by the Buddha. These Noble Truths, that were realized by the Buddha at the time of his Enlightenment, were preached to his first five disciples in Sarnath. They are :

i. The Noble Truth of suffering.

ii. The Noble Truth of the origin of suffering Karma and Delusion and their causes.

iii. The Noble Truth of the cessation of the suffering or the attainment of Nirvana.

iv. The Noble Truth of the Eight Fold Path leading to Nirvana.

3. Guru Rinpoche's Trungkar Tsechu : This commemorates the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhav.

4. Lhabab Duecheu : According to Buddhist lore the Buddha's mother Queen Maya died shortly after his birth and went to the heaven of the Thirty Gods or Trayastrimsa. Through the spiritual powers that he acquired after Enlightenment, the Buddha was able to go to Trayastrimsa to meet with his mother once again. Lhabab Duechu - 'Lha' for heaven, 'Bab' for descent and 'Duechu' for festival - celebrates the Buddha's return from this visit.

5. The Kalchakra Pooja : Kalchakra, a deity of Tantrayana Buddhism (which emphasizes the mystic aspects of Buddhism) is a blue colored figure with many heads and arms, each of the latter bearing various weapons and objects. These numerous heads and arms, seen in many Indian deities, represent the intellectual brilliance and the proficiency in various arts of the represented deities. Kalchakra is usually shown with his yellow-bodies consort Visamata - a most suitable mate for him, she has four heads and eight arms. The Kalchakra Pooja is performed in order to eventually attain Nirvana. Many rituals and meditations are involved and the Dalai Lama is considered the ultimate authority in performing this Pooja.

6. Losar : Celebrated in February, Losar or Gyalpo Losar is the Tibetan New Year.

7. Losoong and the Chaams : Losoong, which takes place in the eleventh month of the Tibetan calendar, celebrates the end of the Harvest season and the srtart of the new agricultural year. Prior to Losoong, the ceremony of Gutor - remarkable for the various religious, evil-spirit exorcising dances or Chaams like Kagyed ( Eight Teachings of the Guru), Shanag (Black Hat Dance), Shawa Chaam (Stag Dance), Tshanche (Animal Headed Mask Dance), Namding (Dance of winged Animals), and others - is performed. The music for these dances is provided by traditional instruments like Gyaling and Kyaling (trumpets), Nga chen (drums), Dungkar (Counch), and Rolmo and Silnyen (cymbals).

8. Phang Lhabsol : Celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the Tibetan calendar (August end), Phang Labsol commemorates the signing of the treaty of brotherhood between the Lepchas and the Bhutias by Khye Bumsa and Tetong Tek. The occasion is celebrated by Lama dances envoking the Guardian deity.

9.Bumchu : Held in January/February, Bumchu means 'Pot of water'. Every year, at the Tashiding Monastery, a pot filled with river water is sealed and is only opened during the Bumchu Festival. If the level of water is still upto the brim, evil occurences are expected in the coming year. If the water has evaporated, famine and droughts are expected. If the pot is half-full, then the prognosis for the coming year is excellent in every way.

Reference :

Sikkim, Darjeeling, Bhutan, a Guide and Handbook - Rajesh Verma