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FESTIVALS OF LADAKH
Hemis Festival
One of the most popular monastic festivals of Ladakh,
Hemis festival is organized in the month of June for the
commemoration of the birth of Guru Padmasambhava, the founder
of Tantric Buddhism in Tibet. The monks get dressed in vibrant
brocade robes and wear colorful facial masks for performing a
sacred dance drama of his life and its mission.
This 3-day festival is organized, from 9th to 11th June,
particularly the monkey year festival that arrives in a cycle
of 12 years. At the time of the festival, the 4-storeyed
thangka of Guru Padma Sambhava is slung in the courtyard along
with other precious thangkas are out on display.
Thiksey, Karsha and Spituk Gustor
2-day Gustors are organized in Thiksey, Spituk and Karsha
gompas during different months of the year. These celebrations
are a mark of the triumph of good over evil. Various kinds of
masks are worn by the dancers. These masks signify the Gods
and Goddesses, the Protectors and the Guardians. In the end of
the festival, there is figurative killing of evils and the
effigy of evils are also burnt.
Dosmochey Festival
Celebrated in Liker (lower Ladakh), Leh (Leh Palace) and Nubra
Valley’s Deskit monastery, Dosmochey festival comes in the
month of May. Out of all the places where the festival is
organized, the one at Leh is the most popular. The courtyard
of the palace becomes the venue of this festival for two days.
The Chams is performed by monks of different monasteries, each
year, turn by turn.
The festival is organized in the starting and in the ending of
the Tibetan New Year. Monks of the Takthok monastery make the
offering using thread crosses that fix all the hungry ghosts
and evil in order to make them protector against natural
disaster in the coming year. On the 2nd day, a procession is
organized during which these offering are taken out and burnt
while the locals whistle to ward away evil spirits.
Matho Nagrang Festival
Celebrated at Matho monastery on the 15th day of the first
month of the Tibetan calendar, the Matho Nagrang festival is a
2-day event. This monastery the only gompa that belongs to
Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism. During the festival, the
monks of the monastery wear colorful brocade and silk robes,
and perform mask dances are performed by the monastery. The
masks are the representation of the Gods and Goddesses.
The main highlight of this festival the presence of 2 oracles
who attend the festival after a complete one month doing
meditation in loneliness. These 2 oracles are present in the
courtyard along with the masked dancers. They then give future
predictions about the events that would befall. Locals even
from faraway places come here so that they can get an advice
regarding rituals that need to be performed to warding off
disasters.
Stok Guru Tsechu Festival
Organized in the month of February, just a week before
Matho Nagrang, Stok Guru Tsechu festival is a 2-day
celebration where the months of Spituk and Stok monasteries
take part in the festivities, performing mask dances. At the
time of the festival 2 oracles visit the monasteires. These
oracles are actually common men from the same village who are
arranged by the monks for receiving the spirits of the
deities.
Phyang Tsedup Festival
Phyang Tsedup festival is organized in the month of July /
August. In the same manner as the other monasteries, the monks
perform mask dances, wearing colorful brocade silk robes and
masks depicting gods and goddesses. During the festival, a
large thangka of Skyoba Giksten Gonbo is placed in the
courtyard.
Yuru Kabgyat Festival
Around 125 km away from Leh, the very popular Lamayuru
monastery becomes the venue of the 2-day Yuru Kabgyat festival
in the month of July. In the same manner as the other monastic
festival, the celebrations in this case are also marked by
mask dances by monks who also organize prayers and some other
rituals in order to get riddance from disasters and bring
peace on earth.
Losar (New Year) Celebration
The Losar celebrations are followed by Galdan Namchot, which
is the birth anniversary of Tsogkha pa who was the initiator
of Gelukpa School of order. During the second festivities, the
mountains, monasteries and the houses of the locals are
illuminated. Offerings are also prepared in the gompas and
houses.
The Losar festival that comes 2 months before the Tibetan New
Year, is celebrated in the 11th month of the Tibetan calendar.
Though earlier the dates of both the festivals were same but
in the first half of the 17th century, King Jamyang Namgyal
was planning an expedition against the Baltistan forces in the
winter season, he thus decided that the festival would be
celebrated 2 months in advance. This later on became a
tradition.
Lonar celebration is a month long celebration when gods,
ancestors as well as animals are fed without any break.
Pictures of Alpine of Ibex are made on the walls in the form
of a fortunate representation. The walls of the kitchen are
also dotted so that it can bring in prosperity in the New
Year. Locals organize procession of fire, the Metho during
which slogans are chanted to chase away evil spirits and
hungry ghost. To mark good luck, they bring back rocks of ice
and keep them in their store. In some of the villages, old men
and women figures are made from this snow, which can last at
least for one week. People of all age groups take part in
Losar celebrations with full zeal. During the celebrations, if
any family member would be missing, cups with their named are
kept aside which are then filled by tea.
Sindhu Darshan (Visit Indus) Festival
Sindhu Darshan is 3-day festival, that starts on 1st June
and end on the third day of the month. Shay Manla, around 8 km
from the Leh town, placed on the banks of River Indus becomes
the venue. A mark of the communal harmony, unity and national
integration, the celebrations of this festival started in the
month of October in 1997. Along with being a celebration of
Ladakh’s domestic tourism, it also pays respect to Indian
soldiers who laid their lives fighting with the human enemies
as well as natural disasters. During the celebration, Indian
artists of different castes, regions and religions perform
their traditional dances.
Ladakh Harvest Festival
Ladakh Harvest Festival generally begins from 1st September
and continues till 15th of the month. This festival is a
flamboyant merriment of the rich cultural diversity of the
people of Ladakh. The festivities continue till 15 days with
full vigor and enthusiasm in the whole region. Folk
performances, mask dances, wedding ceremonies, archery,
theatre, music, polo are all a part of this festival with a
finale carnival parade through Leh’s streets being the
highlight.
Tak -Tok Festival
Celebrated in a cave gompa of Tak Tok in the summer months,
Tak-Tok festivals is one of the most important festivals of
Ladakh., A prime tourist attraction of Ladakh, this festival
is also a huge hit amid the locals who visit the venue with
full enthusiasm in huge numbers.
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