ALL
legend
ICH Elements 5
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ZIYORATGOH, mazor, oston, qadamjo
Holy places. In Tajikistan, many sacred places (zieratgoh), associated with the legends, traditions, rituals, beliefs and customs of worship. Next to every holy place there are special buildings for the gathering, prayers, and kitchens for cooking. People usually visit the sacred sites usually on Wednesdays, but it is open to the public there on other days.
Tajikistan -
QISSA, rivāyat
Folk legends about heroes and religious figures.
Tajikistan -
Meri Pun-sum: The Three Brothers’ Hills
When you arrive in Haa, you are greeted by three giant identical hills rising steeply to the west, known as Miri Pun Sum, also styled as Miri Pun Suum or sometimes Me Rig Puen Sum: The Three Brothers Hills or The Three Sisters Hills. Located on the border between Kartshog and Uesu Gewog, one can admire the aligned hills in the middle of Haa Valley. For centuries, the Miri Pun Sum has been worshipped as the abode and embodiment of the Rig-sum Gonpo, Lords of the Three Families: with Jampleyang or Manjushiri on the left; Chenrizig or Avalokiteshvara in the middle; and Chana Dorje Vajrapani on the right. These three deities are considered the most important deities in the Vajrayana Buddhist pantheon, Miri Pun Sum symbolizes and emplaces them in the landscape, so they are worshipped as guardian deities protecting the Haa Valley. Legend has it that people suddenly appeared out of nowhere from Miri Pun Sum, and built the Lhakhang temple of Karpo and Nagpo, which stands in front of the three hills today. It is also believed that this sudden appearance of people from these three hills gave the place its name "Ha". Locals believe that the three hills themselves embody Buddhist powerful beings, and each is associated with a village as well. The people of the Bji and Kartshog Gewog village block are represented by the hill of Chana Dorji, the Vajrapani bodhisattva; they are known to be darker and tougher than their neighbors. While the notoriously meek people of the Uesu gewog are represented by the hill of Chenrizig, the Avaloketeshvara bodhisattva of compassion. Finally, Samar, Gakiling, and Sangbay gewogs are represented by the hill of Jampelyang, Manjushri bodhisattva of wisdom, to reflect their gentle, down-to-earth, and easygoing nature. People also believe that the collective welfare of Haaps depends on the condition of Miri Pun Sum, which is why the Haaps protect the three hills with great reverence. Locals believe that the Miri Pun Sum maintain peace in the valley. It is also believed that these three hills are responsible for rain, harvest, and prosperity of the families. Only when in the presence of these majestic hills can one truly fathom and appreciate this unique, fascinating landscape. Miri Pun Suum is considered a sacred landmark, revered by all Haaps with great respect and devotion. Since time immemorial, Haaps have offered Soel-kha propitiation rituals to Miri Pun Sum. In 2013, under the leadership of the Lhayul-kha people, the Haaps officially erected a Lha-chhim deity shrine in front of Miri Pun Sum to specifically perform Mang-chhoe, a great offering ritual for the welfare of the entire population, or Soel-kha for Miri Pun Sum. This Mang-chhoe is performed annually on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month. The Lha-chhim is looked after by two administrators whose posts are filled alternately by the residents of Lhayulkha village.
Bhutan -
RIVĀYAT, naql
Short folk legend, a kind of narrative.
Tajikistan
ICH Materials 3
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Performing dastans
Because of the interaction with epic culture and performing arts of the Central Asian people, the Kyrgyz oral art emulated and developed widely the ‘dastan’ genre. Such genre is a folk refinement of heroic epics, legends, and storylines. Fantastic and adventurous situations with sophisticated plots are described in them. There are various dastans as ‘Ak Moour’, ‘Munduk, Zarlyk’ or ‘Gulgaaky’ which describe some historical events, reveal a heroic theme as well as displays small forms of folklore - blessings, thanksgivings, catchwords and slogans, proverbs and sayings, thus becoming the repository of popular wisdom and epic richness. Numerous works demonstrate that the dastan genre became very popular.
Kyrgyzstan -
Dastanchy, Son Kul,Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan