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EE00002585
Drukor: Custom of Gathering Grains
Drukor and Tokor mean the same thing, that is, collection of bru (grain) or collection of to (food grains) by the people of Merak and Sakteng in Bhutan. These highlanders of the east use brukor while the highland settlers of the west use tokor. The highlanders fill their stores with various types of grains, mostly rice and maize. Some households even have grain stocks as old as 20 years as one does not need to worry about insects at high altitude. During the summer, the highlanders are busy tending their animals while farmers in the lower altitude villages are busy with crop farming, but during the autumn season when farmers harvest their crops, the highlanders come for brukor or tokor. They normally take loads of raw incense leaves, butter, dried cheese, fermented cheese, meat, hides, wool, and all sorts of animal products to exchange for grains. Normally their transactions are barter system, though cash transaction is also common in order to buy necessary items such as salt, sugar, and tealeaves that are imported from India. The highlanders transport these goods on horses, yaks, dzos, and oxen and also carry them on their own backs. The caravan will range from a few to over 20 pack animals walking in line along the tracks, halting at nights where there is enough grass and water for the animals. Over the years, this custom has led to a special bond between the highland dwellers and lowland farmers known as naep (host/guest). Following the harvest in winter, the highlanders visit the lower altitude for brukor and become the guests of the farmers, while in summer, the farmers visit the highland pastures in search of butter and cheese and become guests of highland hosts. In the central districts, the highlanders also take care of the flocks of sheep belonging to the low altitude farmers from April until the Blessed Rainy Day in the autumn, receiving a measure of grain for each animal by way of exchange. The highlanders store their grains with the host family until all of it has been carried up to their highland homes, which may take some months. They do this with complete trust that the quantity will remain correct, to the last grain. However, this tradition is now almost lost in some parts of the country, since the yak products are easily traded for cash in the urban centres where alternative accommodation is now easily found. Moreover, the modern market has everything that a highlander needs to buy with cash. The liberalisation of cordyceps collection has also increased the purchasing power of the highlanders. In the central districts, sheep culture has been now disappeared from the landscape.
Bhutan -
EE00002579
Phyag: Prostration
Prostration is an act of seeking refuge in the Three Jewels – Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Prostrations are made at sacred sites, structures, before highly learned lamas and statues. It is a submission of one’s body, mind and speech to these entities. Moreover, it is a way of overcoming one’s ego through humility and to be freed of negative karma, one might have accrued in the past and present lives. In Bhutan, if a person is frequently sick and physically disabled, it is believed that he or she is experiencing the results of past bad karma. In order to get rid of these defilements, a lama advises his followers to do prostrations to help clear off the bad karma. A number of people who have done this have regained their health. There are two types in prostrations – a long stretched prostration (changcha) and a short contracted prostration (kumcha). In changcha, the whole body is laid down flat on the ground stretching both the arms in the front. In the kumcha, the ‘five limbs’ – two knees, two palms, and the forehead touch the ground. It is also referred to as ‘five-point prostration.’ When one touches the ground with the five limbs, one should be mindful and visualise that the five poisons or negative emotions are being destroyed and eradicated. The five poisons are ignorance, attachment, anger, jealousy and pride, all resulting from ego. Before prostrating, and while facing the right direction where one is going to prostrate, one needs to take care of several principles and physical gestures: a. think that one is in the Buddha field and not on the earth; b. fold hands together in the shape of a lotus bud; c. put the folded hands on the head, throat and then at the heart and think one is submitting the body, speech and mind to the object; d. do the prostration with the five limbs touching the ground; e. recite the refuge mantra all along; 5. when one prostration is done stand upright once, before the next prostration; and g. think that all sentient beings are prostrating together chanting the mantra filling the universe with the combined voices. One should envisage receiving blessings from the body, speech, mind, qualities, and activities of the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas. Similarly, one should also pray that the prostration help cleanse all the defilements and sins committed by body, speech, and mind of oneself and others alike. The mantra for refuge is: I take refuge in my Guru, I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha, I take refuge in the Triple Gem, the perfect refuge!
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EE00002581
Driglam namzha: Etiquette
Driglam denotes ‘order, conformity and uniformity’ while namzha refers to ‘the principle’. Hence, driglam namzha means abiding by the principle of living in harmony and in pure forms concerning physical, verbal and mental behaviours. Every society has its own code of discipline in order to regulate human conduct, enabling people to live together as civilised human beings. The Bhutanese code of driglam namzha covers a wide range of social norms. These include speaking, eating, drinking, walking, sitting, dressing, relationship, patriotism and gratitude. It is a way of showing gratitude for the benefits one has received from parents, leaders, elders and spiritual teachers. These distinctive social customs have been carefully maintained and preserved over generations by our forefathers. Today, they are deeply rooted in our society and remains as an insignia of our cultural identity. Precisely, driglam namzha involves action, speech and thoughts. Accordingly, it can be described as follows: 1. Physical Etiquette (lueki driglam): It means conducting oneself through the body. This covers the conduct of eating, drinking, walking, sitting, seeing, dressing, showing respect, and physical gestures. 2. Speech Etiquette (ngagi driglam): It means conducting oneself through speech. This covers speaking the truth, speaking gently and politely, speaking in a respectful way, and saying words that are beneficial to others. 3. Mind Etiquette (yiki driglam): It means conducting oneself through the mind. This covers faith in the Three Jewels (Tri Ratna, that is, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), dedication to work, loyalty to the country, good intentions, showing kindness and gratitude, and trust in the cycle of karma. Among the three aspects of driglam namzha, mind etiquette is the most important of all because the mind influences and controls our actions and speech. It is through intelligence that human values can be analysed, understood, appreciated and followed. Therefore, to rectify our thinking and have the right attitude is most important. Thus, mind etiquette plays a vital role in the person’s maintenance of quality and decency.
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EE00002586
Doma paney: Betel Nut and Betel Leaf
Doma paney is a combination of areca nut, betel leaf and a little paste of lime. Although the combination was scarcely available in Bhutan earlier times, it now occupies an important place in our culture. Many Bhutanese — irrespective of age, gender, occupation or social status — enjoy chewing doma paney. It acts as an icebreaker for chitchats, serves as a gift of friendship between individuals, is an indispensable item on auspicious occasions and for some individuals the chewing of doma paney has become a regular daily habit that is very hard to break. Among the Hindu community in the south, doma paney is offered as an invitation to important occasions. Bhutanese link this custom with the visit of Guru Padmasambhava in the 8th century when the inhabitants were blessed and ordained with ge-nyen vows to refrain from killing animals and consuming their meat and blood. In the 17th century, Zhabdrung Rinpoche received gifts of betel nuts and leaves from his chief patron, the king of Gatrikha (Cooch Behar) in India, Zhabdrung included these items as the first offering item in the zhugdre ceremony. The custom became very popular after that. In earlier times, people used ingredients that were locally available, but later these same ingredients were imported from India in large quantities. More recently, people have started cultivating the areca palm and the betel vine in their own gardens, but there is still not sufficient supply to meet the demand. here is a saying associated with doma paney: Areca nut, the foodstuff from India, Dissect it as if axing summer woods. A beloved is the betel leaf, Tear it as if tearing leaves. The dazzling white lime, Paint it as if to whitewash. The culture of chewing doma paney is so strong that even old people manage to consume it by crushing it in a drechag (metal grinder, also called chagdre) or in a kodre. Drechag or chagdre is a metal tube and a metal pestle, which is used to crush the betel nut and the other ingredient in the tube. The kodre is a skin bag, which is crushed between stones with the three ingredients inside. The betel nuts and leaves are kept in a rectangular box with a hinged lid called a chaka, while the lime paste is kept in a circular box with a conical lid, called a trimi. Both chaka and trimi are usually made of silver or brass and embossed with intricate designs. Sometimes they are gold- or silver-plated. The king and the chief abbot would have doma bathra, a round silver betel nut container, which is carved with intricate motifs such as lotus or dragon.
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EE00002576
Gelong: Monks in Bhutan
Gelong, monks and Zhung Dratshang, Central monastic body or Geduen lobdra, monastic schools in Bhutan play an important role in religious and cultural life of the different sections of society. In the past, each family enrolled at least one of their sons into the local monastery, so that monks constituted a considerable proportion of the male population. Although this percentage has declined with the passage of time, the roles of the monastic community have increased in recent years. The Head Abbot or Je Khenpo, who is responsible for the nation’s religious affairs, holds a prominent place in the social and cultural life of the people. Five deputies or senior masters assist him in supervision across the kingdom. Below them are the monks of other ranks with specific responsibilities. A boy may be enrolled in the monastery at an early age, on an auspicious day. He starts to wear the maroon robe and his head is shaved. The novice receives ordination step by step, based on the monastic code of conduct specified in the Vinaya. The curriculum begins with the learning of the alphabet, spelling and reading, and advances to the memorisation of prayers and other relevant texts besides observing daily monastic rules of discipline. They also learn various ritual arts, metrical rhymes, trumpet playing, making ritual cakes etc. As they proceed to higher classes, they learn grammar, prosody or literary science, in preparation for pursuing higher Buddhist philosophical studies. After having gained a basic proficiency in religious studies from the monastic schools, the monks graduate to higher Buddhist philosophical studies. Besides emphasising liturgical, doctrinal and esoteric scriptures, monastic education also offers training in the auxiliary sciences and arts such as medicine, astrology, calligraphy, painting and grammar. The novice monk is eligible for full ordination only after the successful completion of a graded nine-year course. The entire period of study encompasses fifteen to twenty years. Needless to say, many whose abilities fail to meet the progressively higher standards settle for the lesser monastic grades, while the select few, in accordance with their accomplishments, rise up the hierarchical ladder. The monk’s education does not end with his gaining proficiency in Buddhist studies alone in the Buddhist colleges. After receiving theoretical teachings, he must undergo retreat for three years to practice meditation, called ‘losum choesum,’ which means three years and three faces of a month (the first face from the 1st day to the 15th day which is known as upper-face, the second face from the 16th to the 30th, known as the lower-face. Choesum means a complete month – upper and lower faces – and the upper face of the following month, which makes one and a half months). Performances of rituals on daily, monthly and annual basis are part of the normal monastic life. The monk must master different types of instruments including the trumpet, drum, clarinet and cymbals. Since almost every important occasion in the life of the average Bhutanese is coloured with religious significance, monks also visit households to perform annual rites for diverse occasions such as birth, marriage, sickness, death, construction of houses, promotion of senior officials, inaugural functions and many other day-to-day needs.
Bhutan -
EE00002583
Nyeldrum and Keytoen: Pregnancy and Baby Shower
According to our conventional wisdom, once a woman stops menstruating, and starts vomiting in the morning as well as experiencing loss of appetite, she is pregnant. Henceforth, she avoids doing any heavy work, and elders and experienced people advise her on the dos and don’ts of birthing-related subjects. Although pregnancy was socially acceptable for a woman who had a husband, there was a social stigma against unmarried pregnant women. Not only did people gossip behind their backs, but some communities even ostracised them on the pretext that their pregnancy outside marriage would cause accident or disaster to the people, animals and community, especially if they happened to pass through any restricted areas such as ladam or ridam (restriction of mountains and forests near the community and believing these sites as the abode of local deities. Restrictions these sites starts from the sowing of seeds in the field and until the harvest). Although no nasty actions are taken against unwedded pregnant women these days, they are still the subject of gossip, and social stigmatisation persists, though perhaps to a lesser degree now than is mirrored in the well-known traditional saying: "If the bastard is faced to the rocky cliff, the cliff breaks down; and, And if the bastard is faced towards the lake, the lake dries up." Although due date for the birth could not be predicted precisely, impending birth is determined based on the size of the abdomen and frequency and intensity of labour pains. As soon as childbirth seems imminent, the woman readies herself by preparing ara (distilled wine) or changkyoe (fermented rice) as well as stocking up with other nutritious foods such as meat, egg and fish. She also avoids crossing the tethers of horses, as it is believed that this will delay birth, since pregnancy in mares lasts about a year. Besides, roaming or journeying at night is strictly forbidden. When it is time, a few elderly women will be called to assist the pregnant woman, as it is also believed that it will be easy to give birth if there is an experienced woman nearby. According to the Eastern Bhutanese belief, if the woman is in protracted labour, various methods are followed to aid her in delivering the baby, such as: opening a container of fermented rice (Changkoe or phafin, also known as buchang) and serving it to her; a family member going to a cross-section of paths and stamping the ground hard three times, collecting the dust from that spot, and then rubbing it on the abdomen of the expectant woman; or her brother (phuga ajang) dresses up and covers his body with a lhiu (rain coat made from yak hair) and then, carrying a quiver and holding a bow in his right hand, he jumps across the abdomen of his sister who is lying on the bed. These are some of the popular practices claimed to have saved pregnant women from suffering further. After delivery, the child is picked up by the kindest and most gentle person present, as it is again believed that the new-born will take on the character of the person who first picks the baby up. Once the child has been picked up, its umbilical cord is cut with a sharp knife or a scissor. The child is washed with lukewarm water and welcomed by inserting a piece of butter in the mouth, placing another piece on the head, and uttering many good wishes and prayers for his/her long life. While the child is being washed, the mother awaits expulsion of the placenta. The placenta is buried in the ground, placing the umbilical cord towards the surface. However, in some cases the placenta is taken to a river and pressed under a heavy stone with the umbilical cord turned upstream. Either way, if the umbilical cord is not placed correctly, it is believed that the child will vomit. After washing, the baby is allowed to suckle at the mother’s breast either before or after expulsion of placenta, and following that ara and nutritious foods are given to the mother. However, if placental expulsion does not occur, a rundi (kind of flat rope made from bamboo, used when carrying loads on the back in Tshangla Community) is cut in half and burned. The ash is given to the mother to eat. In some cases, the cast off skin of a snake (buesop) is fed to the woman. People believe that these practices will help the body expel the retained placenta. As the birth of a child is considered impure, outsiders will avoid visiting the family for three days after the birth. After three days, where possible, a lama or tsip (astrologer, or lama who knows astrology) is invited to the house to perform a purification ritual called lhabsang and define the child’s horoscope and bestow a name. Following this, well-wishers and neighbours will visit, bringing a ceremonial scarf and a pitcher of ara, a small amount of dried meats, eggs or anything else that is considered valuable to the weak and recuperating mother. The next very important function for a child is the first cutting of hair, which can be done at any suitable time after the hair is long enough. The practice is that the first haircut is done by a brother of the child’s mother, or in some cases (for example if she has no brother), it may be done by a lama.
Bhutan -
EE00002584
Shinchog: Funeral Customs
In Bhutan, there are several funeral practices as mentioned below: 1. Cremation of dead body at cremation ground or near one’s own house or on a river bank; 2. Sky burial, where the body is placed on a mountaintop for vultures to consume; 3. Water burial, where the body is immersed in the river and weighed down with heavy stones, or else cut into small pieces which are then scattered in the river; 4. Ground burial, where the body is buried underground; 5. Cave burial, where the body is deposited or hidden in caves on cliff faces; and 6. Surface burial, where the body is buried above the ground but covered with a structure made of stones and plaster. Cremation is the most common practice throughout the country. People prefer to cremate the body of a family member at a charnel ground, which has been prepared in accordance with the mandala of Buddha Akshobhya, and consecrated and blessed by highly attained lamas. The Hindus in the southern foothills cremate their dead on riverbanks so that the ashes and remaining debris are easily disposed of in the river. People in Merak and Sakteng communities (eastern Bhutan) dispose of dead bodies in the river or else bury them underground, while in places like Lingzhi (Western north) the dead bodies are left on a flat stone at a higher elevation for the vultures. In the Lhop community (Southern ethnic) , the dead body is buried above the surface of the ground within a stone mound which is plastered to make it air proof. Where cremation is practised, dead children below the age of eight are not allowed to be cremated. In olden days, they were either taken for sky burial on high mountaintops where vultures could feed on them, or they were buried in the river, weighed down with heavy stones to prevent them from being carried downstream. Sky burial is discouraged these days, however. In the event of a death, it is of utmost importance to seek divination from an astrologer before disposing of the body. Based on his ruling, various religious and charitable activities are organised in the name of the deceased. The main purpose of such activity is to accumulate enough merit to speed up his or her next rebirth as a human. Failing to accumulate enough merit will lead the deceased to be reborn into one of the four unhappy states of existence below the human plane. The virtuous person will either take rebirth as a human being, or be reborn in the pure realm of a Buddha field, from which they may travel the path towards enlightenment without falling back into the lower realms. The Buddhist tradition of funeral rite continues for 49 days after death. Aspiration prayers for the deceased are recited and rituals performed almost daily by those who can afford it, depending on the availability of monks or gomchens (lay-monks) and nuns. Those who cannot afford daily rituals, must at the very least initiate the droda zhi on the 4th day since the death, duen tshig on the 7th day, chuzhi on the 14th day and nyishu tsachi or gewa on the 21st day and finally zhipchu zhegu on the 49th day for performance of kangsha (prayer rituals) to the various forms of Compassionate Buddhas (mithrugpa and chenrezig), without fail. The family also conducts a ritual at the first anniversary after the passing away of the person, but for those who can afford it, the anniversary ritual can go on up to any number of years from the third year onwards. Relatives and intimate friends will try to attend all the rites including the annual rites, but people from the community will prefer to come mostly during the last two days (i.e. 21st and 49th days since the death). Following the funeral rite, a drigo (meaning, an effigy or a photograph of the deceased) is kept in the corner of the shrine room and offered meals, butter lamps, tshog (other forms of food), fruits and drinks every day, starting with the first day of passing away, until the 21st day rite, after which the drigo is removed. This is because the soul of the deceased is thought to hover around the body instead of leaving to seek the path of liberation. After cremation, any remaining fragments of bone are collected from the cremation site, then ground into powder, mixed with clean mud and made into tshatsha (mini stupas). These are laid in caves, on ledges of cliffs and at other sacred sites before the 49th day. One hundred and eight prayer flags printed with the Chenrezig mantra (om mani padme hum) are hoisted for the deceased, in order to benefit all sentient beings. Customarily, the six-syllable mani mantra would be sung melodiously with heartfelt devotion by those present at such rituals, but the practice is slowly diminishing, either because people nowadays do not know the tradition or because it is coming to be seen as obsolete. Even in remoter areas of the country, the tradition is no longer very strong.
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EE00002580
Sonam la: Agricultural Practices
As Bhutan remained under self-imposed isolation for several centuries, modern economic development made its way to this country very much later than in many other countries. Agriculture is still the main source of livelihood for a large majority of the population. More than sixty percent of the people still live in rural villages tilling their land and raising livestock. Farmers generally use traditional methods of farming and homemade tools, but increasing numbers are beginning to use modern technology appropriate to their individual farming needs. Bhutanese farmers grow nine basic varieties of cereal grains – wheat, barley, paddy, maize, bitter buckwheat, sweet buckwheat, pulse, foxtail millet, and finger millet. These are grown at different places and times, depending upon the altitude and season. The most dominant crop is rice followed by maize and wheat. Due to the introduction of new farming technologies and growth in market opportunities, farmers are venturing into commercial crops such as oranges, apples, cardamoms and potatoes. Commercial gardening of chilly, cabbage, cauliflower, tomato, and asparagus is also undertaken nowadays. Traditionally, when farming works are due, a suitable day is sought from the village astrologer for ploughing and sowing of seeds. Days coinciding with animal signs such as Ox, Tiger, and Sheep are avoided when oxen are used in the fields. Similarly, days bearing the signs of Rat, Rooster, and Pig are avoided for sowing seeds. Nevertheless, farmers generally stick to the throejorthroechen and throechung, which are combinations of two of the five elements according to astrology. Every farmer aspires for a good harvest in any season. Therefore, the very first step is to gather stubble and twigs, which are then burnt in the field. Thereafter, manure is collected from cowsheds and scattered in the fields. The farmlands are ploughed with the help of a pair of male animals – oxen or yaks yoked together. In the eastern region, two men are required to guide the oxen with one at the yoke and the other holding the plough. In order to encourage the animals, some farmers sing inspirational songs called Lang ke or Lang kor. Please come, my Dongkar, Listen, with your golden ear, Concentrate your mind. Please come, my Yangcha, Even if my voice is not soft as wool, Prove that you are as strong as iron. Come on, my Dongkar, The breakfast that we have eaten this morning, It is vanishing as the sun passes the midpoint. Come on, my Yangcha, Without having worked ahead, It is hard to leave the results behind. Come; turn on, my Dongkar, The time has come for the sun to set behind the mountains, You have to complete one more round of work. Come; turn on, my Yangcha, After successful completion of one more round, The repressing yoke will be removed from your neck. Maize is the first crop to be sowed, right after the New Year celebrations. It is followed by paddy and other crops depending upon the elevation of the land. The maize seeds are thrown directly into the hollows of the soil as the ploughing is in progress. Unlike other crops, rice involves several cycles of attention and is the most tedious of all crops for cultivation, requiring constant irrigation and frequent weeding. Seeds are sown in separate nurseries in early spring and seedlings are transplanted during the monsoon season. Both maize and rice are harvested between September and October. While harvesting the paddy, a beautiful song seeking high production is sung as follows: Please shower, shower with prosperity! The white-headed mother of prosperity, Please bring productivity and [your] first offering. Please shower, shower with prosperity! The yellow-headed mother of prosperity, Please bring productivity and [your] first offering. Please shower, shower with prosperity! The red-headed mother of prosperity, Please bring productivity and [your] first offering. Please shower, shower with prosperity! The green-headed mother of prosperity, Please bring productivity and [your] first offering.
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EE00002329
Bomena/Pchiru Shelni: Wondering in the night
In the past, single men in Bhutan would sneak into the rooms of single ladies at night and engage in sexual activity. The practice Bomena (moving toward a female), or Pchiru Shelni (Pchiru- Night, Shelni- Wander around), was practiced throughout the country; mostly common in Eastern Bhutan. Males in the villages would slip away stealthily from their homes when dusk fell and would not come back until the early hours. Using a wooden ladder, the guys would climb the windows of the women's homes. If the girl does not like the man peering through her window, she will make noise to alert the rest of the family and have them chase the man away. The couple would meet at night and, it is a traditional and rural interpretation of romance or a date, where the male would facilitate admission into the girl's home with or without her consent. Some boys would form groups and split up when they got closer to their destination. In general, nocturnal courtship was a tradition that gave young people the opportunity to meet their potential spouses in the past. It was a difficult practice where the guys had to travel great miles at night, despite dangerous wild animals, in order to find their life partners.
Bhutan -
EE00002571
Knife making art
The art of knifemaking is old and ancient, and because knives are made by hand, they are a sought-after product in all countries of the world. Among the most ancient forms of knives, Kazakh, kagyi, tolbargi, panvandli, koshkhovuz and several other types have come down to us. Today's types of these, such as horn sop, yorma sop, suqma sop, kalai sar, mis sarbasta, sadafli, chilmekha, suyaksop, sadafsop, have been formed. The side of the needle is mainly made of hardened steel and steel. Currently, there are about twenty knife-making centers in Uzbekistan, which differ from each other in their work technology, shape and decoration.
Uzbekistan -
EE00002577
Dharshing Charni: Hoisting Prayer Flags
Another very popular activity of the Bhutanese is the Dharchar-ni' hoisting of prayer flags with scripts printed on them. That is why beautiful places, mountains, hilltops, treetops, cliff tops, riverside are festooned with multi-coloured prayer flags. In general, prayer flags are hoisted for the benefit of sentient beings, both living and dead, to boost one’s positive energy or luck and to help liberate the souls of our loved ones. There are huge flags called lhadar in front of dzongs, each with a gyetshen (victory banner) on top. There are also flags without scripts printed on them, such as a small white flag called darchung on the rooftop of one’s house and lhadar near one’s house that has just the print of four legendary animals on it. A lhadar with the printed images of the four legendary animals (tiger, snow lion, garuda, and dragon) is also hoisted in front of temples and dzongs. The darchung on rooftops are placed during the annual religious rituals performed by the household, and hoisted in honour of the deities that the household worships. The lhadar showing the images of the four legendary animals is a sign that the temple and dzong contains scriptures like the Three Pitakas (sutra, vinaya and abhidharma). If the temples have sertog (golden pinnacles) on the roof, the victory banner pinnacle is permitted at the tip of the lhadar. The prayer flags come in five different colours: blue, white, red, green, and yellow. The colour of the flag is determined based on the individual’s birth sign represented by the five elements of the twelve year cycle — white for metal, yellow for earth, red for fire, green for wood, and blue for water. The plain flags representing all the five colours hoisted on both sides of the path or road and around houses, or temples or pitched tents, signify important functions, celebrations of happy occasions and reception of dignitaries. They do not have any religious significance. In order to install flagpoles, tall and straight young trees are selected, preferably from coniferous trees that are sometimes called lhashing (tree of the higher beings). Where lhashing is not available, other trees may be substituted, provided they are straight and meet the required height. After felling of the selected tree, bark, branches and knots are completely removed. Sherab reldri(wisdom sword) and khorlo (wheel) made of wood are affixed at the tip of the pole. The base of the reldri is shaped as crescent moon and sun and painted likewise, while the sword is painted bluish in the middle and reddish on the side to represent the sharp blade that destroys ignorance. A curved red line goes upward in the middle of the reldri to signify fire to boost the power of the blade. Lotus petals are painted on the part immediately below the moon to signify the purity of the base of the wisdom sword. In rural villages where these elaborate preparations are not possible, the leafy tops of the branches are used as substitute for reldri and khorlo. The reldri represents Manjushri, the wisdom deity; while the flag represents Avalokiteshvara, the deity of compassion; and the pole represents Vajrapani, the deity of power. Once a flagpole has been selected, it is considered unvirtuous for humans to walk over it, and therefore it should be kept with its tip on a higher ground. The texts and images are printed on cotton cloth from xylographs available in temples and monasteries and with certain private individuals. In the old days, ink was prepared from soot mixed with water and very old singchang (juice of fermented grains) to give the required thickness and strength. The ink is spread over the printing block and the cotton cloth is stretched over the block, and rubbed over gently using a broad leaf. The print will appear on the cotton cloth. The manual printing is repeated until the desired length is achieved. The printed cloth is then attached to the pole with strands of bamboo, leaving a gap of 30 cm below the khorlo and about a metre above the ground. Mantras are printed left to right across the width of the cloth and generally, while attaching the long strip of cloth to the flagpole, it is positioned so that the edge where the mantra begins flutters freely in the air, and the edge where the mantra ends is fixed down the length of the pole. The flags commonly carry mantras of Avalokiteshvara (mani), Guru Padmasambhava (vajra guru), Manjushri, Vajrapani, Tara, Vajrasattva, Buddha Amitayus, Lungta (windhorse) and Gyetshen tsemoi pung-gyen (victory banner sutra). Finally, the flagpole is firmly fixed in the ground and then a consecration ceremony is held. In most cases, high ridges and hilltops are considered ideal locations for prayer flags, because these sites provide plenty of the wind that is needed to flutter the mantra. Besides, hilltops give panoramic view of all the places below, and hence help to reach out the blessings of the prayers to all sentient beings.
Bhutan -
EE00002582
Gyalyong Goenchey: The Bhutanese National Costume
The national dress for men is Gho and Kira for women. Gho is a one-piece outfit pulled up to knee-length and fastened with a belt called kera at the waist, leading to formation of an enormous pouch across the belly. Men’s belt is a striped hand woven textile using plain cotton or wool on a card loom. It has fringes at both the ends. Kira is a rectangular ankle-length robe wrapped around the body, tied at the waist with a wide woven belt, and fastened at the shoulders by a pair of shoulder brooches called koma. A necklace-like chain called the jabtha holds together the pair of koma. Jabtha also makes an attractive ornament. Women’s kera is made of cotton woven on card looms with intricate silk designs of varying colours. Elderly women wear the broad kera in three folds. The female kera has also fringes at both the ends. The weft thread used is commonly thicker than the base fabric used. Women also wear a toego (short, loose jacket) over the kira. Toego can be made from any kind of material and be in any colour. Women also wear a garment called wonju under the kira. Commonly made from silk or polyester, the wonju is a loose, wrap-over long-sleeved blouse. The semi-nomadic herders of the high valleys of Merak, Sakten and Laya and some other ethnic communities do not traditionally wear the gho and kira. They have a unique dress, lifestyle and language, and their own weaving specialty. In an effort to preserve and promote cultural heritage, all Bhutanese are required to wear the national dress in government offices, schools and on formal occasions. Necklace: Traditionally, a necklace is also a part of the costume of a Bhutanese woman, and a woman who is not wearing a necklace is considered to be incompletely attired. Therefore, women make it a point to wear necklaces, especially during celebrative occasions. When a woman is dressing, she puts on her necklace at the very end, to complete the outfit. Necklaces of precious stones are passed down from mother to daughter. A traditional Bhutanese necklace consists of a string of beads of various stones such as coral, turquoise, onyx, pearl, agate, and many more. The necklace may reach almost to the waist. If the woman is very rich and possesses many precious stones, she will choose to wear more than one necklace at a time. Since public gatherings and celebrative occasions provide formal platforms for display of wealth and/or position in society, women make it a point to wear as much as they possess. Sword For hundreds of years Bhutan suffered from territorial invasion as well as internal strife and civil war, challenges which were countered by our pazaps (militia), and senior officials. In earlier times, those who performed well in battle were awarded a sword in recognition of their show of courage, valour and success. Once the monarchy was established those officials who served the king and the country with utmost dedication and patriotic zeal were awarded pata (sword) and red scarf (bura marp) in recognition of their selfless service. Awarding kabney along with pata is, therefore, the sole prerogative of the monarch. The awardee is then addressed as a ‘Drasho’, which literally means ‘the best’ as they are exemplary people. Therefore, this award symbolises secular responsibility — the preparedness to fight any enemy harming the interest of the Tsa-wa-sum (the king, the country, and the people) and to safeguard the country and its cultural traditions. Kabney When Gautama Buddha administered vinaya rules at the first sermon, the five chief disciples first wore kabney as a mark of respect to the Buddha. Later, when Guru Rinpoche (Guru Padsambhava) visited Bumthang in the 8th century and sowed the seeds of faith in the dharma, he instructed people not to take the lives of others, and gave ge-nyen vows (vow of lay devotee). He instructed his devotees to wear rezen or kabney as a sign of their having become followers of Buddhism or taking precepts. While dharma practitioners wore red coloured kabney as a mark of following the dharma teachings, ordinary people wore white coloured kabney as a mark of safeguarding the country — their secular duty. Today, we wear kabney as a part of our national dress in accordance with the code of driglam namzha. The smaller scarf worn by women is called rachu. Kabney is a large, fringed scarf (about 90 by 300 cm), which is worn with one half placed over the left shoulder and the other half drawn across the back, below the right arm and across the body, then caught in a loop made by folding the lower part of the left end over it and then throwing the left end over the left shoulder. When the kabney is correctly placed, the right side should loop down at equal level to the hem of the gho, and the two sides should come together at the left breast. There is considerable variation in how the kabney is actually worn, but what is written here describes how it should be worn. Bhutanese at all social levels wear kabney as a part of formal wear along with the national dress, gho. Wearing kabney marks respect for sacred objects and higher authorities, and symbolises the position or rank of officers serving in the government. Scarves worn by women in place of the male kabney are called rachu. These much smaller, colourful, decoratively woven scarves can be worn draped over both shoulders with the two fringed edges falling from the chest, or can be folded in half and placed over the left shoulder with the fringes falling from the chest. Women in general wear rachu by making a fold in the centre and placing the rachu over the left shoulder. Besides kabney and rachu, there are other variants used by religious practitioners. Those worn by lams and monks are called zen or rezen and the one worn over their rezen is called choe-gho. The rezen is worn all the time over the robe but the choe-gho is worn only during special religious occasions. Similarly, the one worn by ngagpas (tantric practitioners) is called ber or dagam; and the one used by togdenpas (adepts) is called rey or rekar and khamar. Kabney and rachu are worn to pay respect to sublime masters or leaders, and to sacred objects enshrined in the dzongs, monasteries and temples. They are also worn as a symbol of official position. The colour of the kabney determines the official rank of the bearer. Traditional Boot Bhutan’s traditional footwear is a kind of boot worn as high as the knee, the upper, cloth part of which is then held and tied by a narrow strap below the knee. Dra-lham, thru-lham karchung and tshoglham are three different types of traditional footwear and form an important part of Bhutanese national costume. Dra-lham are worn by the senior monks in the monasteries. They are similar to tshoglham but red in colour. Thru-lham karchung derives its name from the white colour of the ben (section just above the ankle) which is highly visible from a distance. The traditional boot worn by the general public is called tshoglham. The thil or sole of the boot used to be made from hard leather, but these days tshoglham usually have rubber soles. Above the sole, two layers of red and white leather (or rubber) make the drilden. Above the drilden is the ri karchu, on which comes the ben in different colours. The ben, is yellow, orange, red, blue or green according to the official position of the wearer. Yellow ben is reserved only for the king and the head abbot (the Je Khenpo); orange is for ministers, red is for senior officials, blue is for members of parliament (both houses) and green is for the general public. The cloth part above the ben is generally black or blue silk brocade. It is mandatory to wear thru-lham or tshoglham as a part of formal national dress during any formal occasions.
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