| Description |
Bumchod is an important annual religious ritual that makes offerings to the local deities in the village communities of Jarey, Wayang, and Changkhala of Jarey Gewog within Lhuentse Dzongkhag. Held at Jarey Temple for one full day on the 15th day of the 6th lunar month every year, the event consists of ritual prayers to two local deities – Nep Drakpa Gyaltshen and Tsan Kyibu Lungtsan; as well as the protective deity Gonpo Mani.
The ritual prayers give thanks to these deities for their ongoing blessing and for the good health, good harvest, prosperity, peace, and harmony in the community over the past year. Bumchod also seeks similar blessings in the coming year. This ceremony is part of a divine sanction that gives the community authority and power as long as the local residents make timely and sufficient offerings to appease the deities.
The event brings all Jarey residents—regardless of social status, age, or gender—together to celebrate the shared history that the ritual constructs. It offers community members a break from the trials of farming activities and raises the sense of communal co-existence and harmony.
Elaborate ritual activities like Bumchod requires the community to rally as sponsors and supporters for the success of the planned works. These Tsawa or hosts carry out the organization and coordination of Bumchod. In the past, this festival was conducted by Jarey Nagtshang alone, but later the Gulibee household became one of the sponsors as the ritual branched out from Jarey Nagtshang family; and further as Jabung Bardhangpa also became sponsor being Threlpa (a tax-paying household). Thus, these three households used to conduct the Bumchod ritual in turn.
Later, new households proliferated in and around Jarey, and today all these households actively take part in the Bumchod as Tsawa and even some households from Wayang and Changkhala villages participate as Tsawa in turn. Different households from three main villages – Jarey, Changkhala and Wayang– form a broad Tsawa group which is sub-divided into four groups by household wise: first group consist of Jarey Nagtshang, Manchulung, Tsabgang, Artobee, two households from Mregdong and Umling; the second group consist of Gulibee, Tashiling, Kyiranag, Manbingla, two households from Korbee, Trinta zhing, Dunphog and Godpodung; third group consist of Gonpa, Bardhang, Thekarla, Kyerchemey, Khomdhang zhing; and the fourth group is some households from Changkhala and Wayang villages.
The contributions of cash and kind are collected from each household in their turn as sponsors. The food provisions collected are rice, butter/oil, cheese, vegetables, local wine, etc. and cash amounting to about Nu. 3000/- is collected to meet expenses for Chagyeb (offering for ritual performers) and for whatever needs to be purchased.
On the day of Bumchod, all necessary arrangements preparing in the kitchen and serving food to ritual performers and guests have to be made by the sponsor Tsawa. In case they have a shortage of manpower, they can hire people from other households.
It is customary that at least a one member from each household who are not the day’s sponsor come to pay respect to Bumchod ritual as guests of the Tsawa, at which time they make some contributions like butter, cheese, local wine and then present them to the Bumchod Tsawa; and in response and gratitude the Tsawa members host them lunch and dinner. It is also customary that each household brings freshly fruiting crops like chili, maize, rice from their field and then offers it to the local deities in the temple.
|
| Social and cultural significance |
The Bumchod ritual as a folk religious event of Jarey and surrounding villages invokes and honors local deities but also provides a point of convergence for all Jarey residents—regardless of social status, age, gender or otherwise—to come together and celebrate a shared history. Each individual has the opportunity to draw inspiration from the celebration, alongside social and religious values. Concurrently, the events also fulfill the social obligations that tie households and villages together, and constitute shared efforts towards shared goals.
Bumchod—like other local celebrations—are among the most visible platforms for maintaining spiritual, cultural and social traditions, without which residents believe their material and physical well-being would be incomplete and in jeopardy. It also offers community members a break from the monotony of farming activities and raises the sense of communal co-existence and harmony.
|
| Transmission method |
This element is transmitted through its annual practice and has been practiced uninterrupted since from the past with great faith, respect and joy by the community. They consider it one of their essential local traditions and they have a strong feeling that if they fail to celebrate this ritual even once, there might take place misfortune in the community. Therefore, all the households and community members actively take part in organizing the Bumchod by contributing in cash and kind, as well as labour and moral support in whatever way possible. Considering the present status of the peoples’ active participation, there is no threat to this element.
Proceedings
The Bumchod sponsors/host in their turn report at the venue on the 15th day of the 6th lunar month carrying rations. They clean the temple inside and out, as well as the Chortens (stupas) nearby. They keep kitchen things and provisions ready for cooking for the next day. Likewise, the ritual performers arrange the shrine including making sacrificial cakes (tormas) related to the protective deities Gonpo Mani and Nep Drakpa Gyaltshen. In particular, an effigy of Nep Drakpa Gyaltshen is made with a square mud base upon which a horse representing Drakpa Gyaltshen is erected out of maize flour. The whole effigy measures about two feet in height. Bull and reindeer images representing Nep Drakpa Gyaltshen are erected by alternative years.
Ritual Prayers
The ritual prayer performance startis early morning with lhasang, a purification ritual ceremony, followed by the main ritual event – an invocation ritual dedicated to the local guardian deities Nedag Drakpa Gyaltshen and Tsan Kyibu Lungtsen. Only then is a ritual dedicated to protective deity Gonpo Mani, which takes the whole day, and concluding with Trashi Monlam (auspicious prayers) in the evening. Standard lengthy texts of ritual prayers are available but here they are not reproduced or included with its translation for space reason.
Ritual Performers
In the past, local gomchens (lay ritual specialists) used to preside over the Bumchod ritual festival. About 20 years ago, the Jarey village community together with civil servants from this village constructed a temple at Jarey. Subsequently, the temple was offered to 9th Gangteng Trulku Rinpoche, after which a Zhirim Shedra (high school for monks) named Thubten Shedrubling headed by a Lam (qualified lama) and teachers was established. Today, the Bumchod is presided over by the Lam, lopons, and monks of Thubten Shedrubling Shedra.
Inviting Nep Drakpa Gyaltshen
A Bumchod Tsawo sponsor chooses a young man from their community to act or represent as Nep Drakpa Gyaltshen. The man is decorated with ceremonial headgear, and blue and white scarves making crisscross over his body. A long bamboo stick with stinging plants stuck/tied at its upper and lower ends represents the horse of Nep Drakpa Gyaltshen. Accompanied by a friend representing a horseman (adrung), and carrying the bamboo stick, he walks lower down the valley where Nep Drakpa Gyaltshen is believed to be residing.
Upon arriving at a place called Liminang (it’s a customary place from where the deity is invited) they make offering of serkyem (libation) to Nep Drakpa Gyaltshen and invite him by making three rounds of whistling sound and submit the request calling by his name loudly, “Drakpa Gyaltshen! Your one year’s mending ritual is being performed, please come up!” And then the one who acts as Nep puts the bamboo stick in between his two legs as if riding a horse and the other one who acts as horseman follows him. On arriving back near the temple, the Bumchod sponsors and others warmly received this Nep saying, “You Nep Drakpa Gyaltshen have come! Have you come to your yearly mending ritual and clear away our obstacles and misfortune?” Nep responds, “Yes I have come! Are you all my patrons happy and well?” After exchanging a few words, the sponsors offer them (Nep and Adrung) reception wine. Before entering the temple, they make three circumambulations of chorten. After leaving the stick at the entrance, they enter the temple and make three prostrations each to the lam and choesham (shrine) and take the seat specially prepared for them. The Lam and Nep exchange some words of welcome.
Chala Takpa (Divination)
After having had the reception wine, Chala Takpa or divination is conducted to see if there are good or bad omens for the next one year. A member of each household from the community participates in the Chala takpa in front of Nep and the Lam. A shrine master fills the offering cup with bangchang and the household member brings up an offering cup filled with bangchang at his or her height level and drops or tosses down on the mat below.
If the cup lands upward all three times it is considered extremely good; if it lands upward one time and two times upside down, it is neither good nor bad; if it lands upward two times and once upside down it is generally good; and if it lands upside down all three times it is quite bad and a serious misfortune is expected to befall upon the household or family. The family performs the relevant ritual suggested by the divination to ward off the misfortune in their house.
Seeing off Nep Drakpa Gyaltshen
After completion of Chala Takpa, the Tsawa members and onlookers see off Nep and his party. The person who acts as Nep is supported by some male members carry the torma effigy of Nep and other offerings including Nep’s lunch and wine. While leaving, those carrying Nep’s torma and Tsawa members exchange respectful farewell words and the Tsawa members also sing farewell songs to see off Nep. The party carrying Nep’s torma goes until a certain distance down the valley where they leave the Nep’s torma facing towards the direction of Dergangchu gorge, which is believed to be his abode, andhey toss Nep’s lunch and wine to him. The party sits down to eat their meal and then dance three songs, thereafter they return to the temple.
By this time, the ritual prayer in the temple concludes and everyone present is served dinner. They follow the meal merriment – singing, dancing and drinking – while others leave for their home. This brings an end to the proceedings.
|
| Community |
The Jarey community of Jarey, Changkhala and Wayang villages are the bearers and practitioners of Bumchod. It is not clear how this ritual festival came to be called “Bumchod.” A literal translation of ‘bum’ means either ‘one hundred thousand’ or ‘vase’ and ‘mchod’ means ‘to make offerings or worship’. Thus, “making one hundred thousand offerings” seems to be an appropriate interpretation in the present context as this offering is made to propitiate the local deities in the best way possible for the wellbeing of the local community.
Nobody in the village knows when and who introduced Bumchod, no literature nor oral tradition offers tells its origin and introduction to the villages. A 91 year old Jarey man, Dorje Penjor, recollects that Bumchod has been observed since his childhood. The local people of Jarey too believe that Bumchod must have been in practice since the first founding of the Jarey Nagtshang. Dorje Penjor, however, informed that it was held in a temporary bamboo makeshift constructed in the open air near the stupa locally known as Bumchod Mani. Today, the ritual is held in the community temple built at the same spot more than 40 years ago.
Data collected by: Dr. Yonten Dargye, NLAB |
