| Ladakh Fair and Festivals |
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| In Ladakh every occasion marriage, birth,
harvesting, commemoration of head Lamas founding of the monastery,
Losar (new year) and flowering is marked by feasting, dancing and the
singing of folksongs that forms a part of its living heritage. Most of
the festivals are held in winter but some popular festival take place in
summer too. The monastic festivals are the heart of all the festivals.
They are performed by Monks wearing colorful silk garments and different
facial mask. |
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| Hemis TSE-CHU Festival |
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| Hemis festival is one of the most famous
monastic festivals in June to commemorate birth of Guru Padmasambhava,
the founder of Tantric Buddhism in Tibet. The sacred dance drama of the
life and mission is performed wearing facial masks and colorful brocades
robes. The three-day festival takes place from 9th to 11th.
Especially the monkey year festival, which comes in a cycle of 12
years. During it the four-storey thanka of Guru Padma Sambhava is hung
in the courtyard and other precious thankas are also exhibited. |
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| Thiksey, Karsha and Spituk Gustor |
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| Gustors take place at Thiksey, Spituk and
Karsha in different months of the year. The festival takes place for two
days. The celebration is to mark the victory over evils. The mask worn
by the dancers represent the Guardians, Protectors and the Gods and
Goddesses. The festival ends with the symbolic assassination of evils
and burning of the effigy of evils |
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| Dosmochey |
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| Dosmochey is celebrated in Leh (Leh
Palace), Liker (Lower Ladakh) and Deskit (Nubra valley) monasteries in
February.The most famous among all is Leh Dosmochey, which is celebrated
for two days in the courtyards of the Leh palace. The monks from
different monasteries perform the Chams every year turn by turn. The
festival takes place in the end and starting of the Tibetan New Year.
The monks of Takthok monastery prepares the offering with Thread crosses
which binds all the evil, hungry ghosts and guard against natural
disaster in the coming year. On the second day of the festival, the
offerings are taken out of the town in a procession and burn it while
people whistle to chase away the evil spirits. |
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| Matho Nagrang |
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| Matho Nagrang is celebrated on the 15th day of the 1st month
of Tibetan calander, at Matho monastery, the only monastery of the
Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism. During these two days of festival mask
dances are performed by monks of the monastery wearing colorful silk
brocaded robes and mask in different forms of God and Goddesses. The
festival is famous because of appearance of the two oracles during the
festival after full month meditation in complete isolation. The two
oracles appear in the courtyard accompanying mask dancers and predict
future events and people from far and away come to seek advice to
perform ritual to tackle with disasters. |
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| Stok Guru Tsechu |
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| The monks of Stok and Spituk monasteries
also celebrate Stok Gruru Tsechu for two days with mask dances
performed. It is also held in Feb. around a week before the Matho
Nagrang. During the festival two oracle appears, but they are laymen
from the same village prepared by monks to receive the spirit of the
deities. |
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| Phyang Tsedup |
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| Phyang Tsedup takes place in
July / August. Like other monasteries, monks wearing colorful brocade
robes and Mask in the form of different god and goddesses perform mask
dances. The huge thanka of Skyoba Giksten Gonbo is hung in the courtyard
during the festival. |
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| Yuru Kabgyat |
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| The 2-day festival takes place in July in Lamayuru monastery around 125
kms. from Leh. Monks like other monastic festival perform mask dances.
During the festival monks perform prayer and rituals to get rid of
disaster and peace in the world. |
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| Losar Celebration |
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The Losar (New Year) celebration is
followed by Galdan Namchot, the birth anniversary of Tsogkha pa who
introduced Gelukpa School of order. During Namchot people illuminate
their houses, monasteries and mountains and make offerings in the houses
and monasteries.
The Losar festival is celebrated in the eleventh month of Tibetan
calendar, two months ahead of Tibetan New Year. In early 17th century,
King Jamyang Namgyal decided to lead an expedition against the Baltistan
forces in winter; therefore he decided to celebrate the festival two
months before. Later it became a tradition and being celebrated in the
eleventh month.
The festival lasts for around a month, during which Gods, deities,
ancestors and even the animals are fed without fail. Images of Ibex are
made as auspicious symbol, walls of the kitchens are dotted and are
believed to bring prosperity in coming year. The Metho (procession of
fire) is thrown out chanting slogans and chasing hungry ghosts and evil
spirits, and they return with rocks of ice as auspicious symbol and
these are kept in the store. In some villages there is a tradition of
making Old men and women, from this snow which last for a week. Over all
the Losar all children and young and olds enjoy and celebrate the
festival. All family members get together to celebrate if someone
missing will have their cups filled with tea by their name. |
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| Ladakh Festival |
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| Ladakh festival takes place in September
1-15 every year in Leh and villages. The inauguration ceremony takes
place in Leh on large scale with the procession of various cultural
troupes from different part of Ladakh. It passes through Leh Market
dancing, singing with traditional music, in colorful traditional Ladakhi
dresses, and finishes at Polo ground after performing their best dances
and songs. The festival last for 15 days with regular program in
different villages. The program includes Archery, Polo, and Mask Dances
from the monasteries, traditional dances by cultural troupes from
Villages. There are series of musical concert and dance program in Leh
town. |
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| Sindhu Darshan (Visit Indus) Festival |
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Sindhu Darshan is three-day festival held from 1st to 3rd June, in Shey Manla around 8 kms. from Leh on the bank of Indus river.
For the first time it was organized in October 1997, as a symbol of
unity and Communal harmony and national integration. Whilst promoting
domestic tourism in Ladakh. It is also a symbolic salute to brave
soldiers of India who have been fighting not only with enemies in the in
the human form but also in the form of nature.
During this festival artists from different parts of the country perform
traditional dances and people from all religions, castes and regions
participate. |
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| Other Festivals |
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There are a number of other festivals
that take place in Ladakh. Some of the festivals that are held in Ladakh
include Lamayuru, which takes place in July. Phiyang takes place in
July-August, after 10 days of Phiyang, another festival Tak-thok is
held. The special feature of Phiyang festival is the exhibition of
thangka, which is done every year unlike the Hemis, where thangka is
exhibited once in 12 years.
Maitreya's Tours offers tours to Leh and Ladakh. For more information or to book a tour, please click here to enter your query. |
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| Festival Calender of Ladakh |
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Ladakh Festivals Calendar 2013 - 2015 |
| Names of the Festival |
Venue |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
| Spitok Gustor |
Spituk |
JAN 9, 10 |
JAN 28,29 |
JAN 18,19 |
| Dosmoche |
Leh,Likir & Deskit Monasteries |
FEB 8.9 |
FEB 27, 28 |
FEB 17, 18 |
| Stok Guru Tse-Cue |
Stok Monastery |
FEB 19, 20 |
MAR 10, 11 |
FEB 27, 28 |
| Matho Nagrang |
Matho Monastery |
FEB 24, 25 |
MAR 15, 16 |
MAR 4. 5 |
| Buddha Purnima |
Leh |
MAY 25 |
JUNE 13 |
JUNE 2 |
| Hemis TSE-CHU |
Hemis Monastery |
JUN 18,19 |
JUL 7, 8 |
JUN 26, 27 |
| Yuru Kabgyat (Lamayuru) |
Lamayuru Monastery |
JUN 5, 6 |
JUN 24, 25 |
JUN 14, 15 |
| Zanskar Karsha Gustor |
Karsha Monastery |
JUL 6, 7 |
JUL 24, 25 |
JUL 14,15 |
| Ph-Yang Tsedup (Phyang) |
Phyang Monastery |
JUL 6,7 |
JUL 24, 25 |
JUL 14,15 |
| Korzok Gustor |
Korzok Monastery |
JUL 11, 12 |
JUL 30, 31 |
JUL 19,20 |
| Dak-Thok Tse-Chu |
Dakthok Monastery |
JUL 18, 19 |
AUG 6, 7 |
JUL 25, 26 |
| Sant Naro Nasjal Zangskar |
Sani Monastery, Zanskar |
JUL 21, 22 |
AUG 9, 10 |
JUL 30, 31 |
| Shachukul Gustor |
Shachukul Monastery |
JUN 25, 26 |
JUL 14, 15 |
JUL 4, 5 |
| Thiksay Gustor |
Thiksey Monastery |
NOV 20,21 |
NOV 9, 10 |
OCT 30, 31 |
| Chemrey Angchok |
Chemrey Monastery |
NOV 30, DEC 1 |
NOV 20, 21 |
NOV 9, 10 |
| Galdan Namchot |
All Over Ladakh |
DEC 27 |
DEC 16 |
DEC 5 |
| Losar |
All over Ladakh |
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JAN 2,DEC 22 |
DEC 12 |
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