| Description |
Sansari Puja (Ritual for the Mother Nature) is the most important cultural event of the Limbu community, Samtse Gewog (block) under Samtse Dzongkhag (district). Sansari Puja is a community festival usually held in April according to the Gregorian calendar to ask blessings from Mother Nature and the deities living in the forest. They have a particular jungle called Limbu lha-kha where they perform this ritual annually. The reason for performing it in the jungle is because of the cleanliness and tranquility of the forest. During this festival, all members of the Limbu community gather to perform a ritual of gratitude and ask for future prosperity. During this ritual, the deities who preside over the jungle according to the community's beliefs are appeased to give thanks for the past successful year and to wish for a peaceful and prosperous life in the future.
This festival is always held on one of the Saturdays of April in the Gregorian calendar. Although Saturday is the most suitable day, it can be moved to other days if one of the Saturdays in the month of April is inconvenient for performing the Sansari Puja according to divination.
The Sansari Puja is performed every year on a hill known as Limbu lha-kha of Trasher Pu village by erecting a temporary altar where prayers are offered throughout the day for health and a good harvest. All the villagers gather on the quiet hilltop to perform this puja for the worship of Mother Nature and the well-being of all. The reason for performing this festival in the forest is the belief in a clean environment and mountains, and a patron deity who resides in clean places.
The pandit or pujari (priest) and his helpers perform the entire festival while the people in the community are joyful and at the same time pray for good health, life and prosperity.
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| Transmission method |
The community has formed a village committee to organize the Sansari Puja. The members of the Sansari Village Committee meet to set the date for the festival. Once they have determined a suitable date and day through divination, all the villagers meet at one of the villagers' houses - especially the village headman's house - the day before the puja. The reason they meet before the puja date is to collect donations from the community, which usually include rice, flour, lentils, fruits, eggs, chickens, etc.
On the following day, the puja day, all members of the community set out for the mountain peak "Limbu lha-kha" as early as 6 am. The initiator - the one who initiates the puja - starts building an altar made of bamboo, thread and banana leaves and places a stone on the altar. Each village places fruits, flowers, shel roti (one of the Southern Bhutanese servings), sweets, incense sticks and some money on banana leaves as offerings. The initiator of the puja, known locally as the Paw, reads from the Kirirat's holy book with an empty stomach. The Paw is supposed to keep a fast until the completion of the puja. The puja ends at 6:00 p.m. in the evening, when all people go home at the end of the day.
If this puja is not performed annually, the community strongly believes that misfortune will befall them. People in the community also believe that this puja keeps the community together and gives them a reason to gather, celebrate, and thank God for blessing them with happiness and well-being. Therefore, the community continues to perform this puja annually.
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