Monday, August 1st, 2022 - Our Last Ladakhi Hurrah - Masked Festival and Traditional Costumes in Korzok, Tso Moriri

 

Animals Being Blessed

When we returned to the monastery, we found that there were a number of animals in the courtyard. In addition to these two horses, there was a yak and several dogs.

The Yak Was Not Happy

The ceremony involved some type of red 'paint' being applied to the animals and some type of flags/ribbons being stitched into their fur (I hope it was fur and not skin!) The yak did not appreciate the treatment and periodically bucked against its handlers. I kept looking at the ropes hobbling it, and hoped that they were sufficient!

The animals were not kept long - they were released, free to go on their own. We were told that now, having been blessed,  they will not be killed by humans. I'm not sure if any were in danger of that anyway, but it was nice to know they are now protected.

The Pooper Scoopers Arrive

Following the departure of the animals, the courtyard was cleaned up. It is probable, that the dung collected by these two, would be put to good use in some way!

The Musicians Arrive

People were getting back in their places - many the same as yesterday, the musicians arrived and the Festival proper was getting ready to start.

Driving Out the Devil in the Office Chair?

When we asked the meaning of the Festival, our guides told us that the dances and music were about driving out the devil. The only representation of the devil that we could see was this office chair, draped with a blanket with a devilish face on it. It puzzled me to hear this explanation, as I conceive of Buddhism as a non-theistic religion - thus with no 'God' as such, there could be no 'Satan'. Good old Google confirms that indeed, in Tibetan Buddhism, shamanic beliefs about the devil were adopted and this ceremony, called a 'cham is the result. According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, it reassures the audience that evil forces have been overcome by the religion, so a good year can be expected. Here's a reference if you're interested: https://www.britannica.com/art/Central-Asian-arts/Buddhist-ritual

The Monks Arrive 

The costumed monks arrived and circled in their dance. You can also see the depiction of the devil on their costumes. The skull on their headdresses evoked the Mexican 'Day of the Dead' in my mind. They were colorful and spectacular.

At Least the Skull Has a Smile!

The hats were quite tall and looked awkward. The dancing seemed a little less active than yesterday - I expect 'high steps' would be hazardous with this on one's head.

An Earlier Generation? No Smile

There were two types of headdress - these ones were not as vibrant and the skull had no smile.

Ladies Wearing a Perak

Another type of headdress was also intriguing me. Since our first arrival in this area, I had been intrigued by a group of women who were highly ornamented.  The curved piece over their head is made of leather and was covered in chunks of turquoise. The sides had furry flaps that reminded me of the days of the 'flying nun' and her wimple. Every time we saw them, some of them carried these vases of silk flowers. Their dress is basically similar to the men's, the gomcha, but has pleats and more of a flare at the bottom.

An Impenetrable Fortress

We had seen these women first at the pass, before we arrived in Tso Moriri. With the way they sat in a circle facing each other, the perak, along with the side flaps made it very difficult to glimpse the faces of these women - a very effective shielding strategy! Here, you can see their lovely shawls.

Fine Silk Gomchas

These women were generally accompanied by a group of men, who were also dressed in their finest. The garment they wear is called a gomcha, tied at the waist with a sash and another over the shoulder. They also wear the hat - tipi. The burners that they carry, are incense burners, fueled by yak dung. The man on the right, was very attentive to his burner and seemed concerned about it, even when they were traveling in the back of their pick-up trucks.

Keeping the Incense Burner Lit

I'm not sure how successful he was - I did not see any smoke!

Seating Confusion

Google says that the costume was worn by the old aristocracy of Ladakh. This group was treated as if they had some privilege. They were seated on the balcony in these chairs on the first day, but when they arrived on Monday, they were moved down to the first level, next to the musicians.

They Still Enjoyed Themselves.

It appears that they are members of the Rupshow Young Drukpa Association, and they actually have a Facebook page. There are many photos from the Fesival, which lasted several more days. They show you the monks costuming that appeared on subsequent days. There was a building for this group right next to the monastery. As we were leaving, to go back to Leh, we saw a few of the women headed up the stairs to the Association facility.

Beautiful Costumes on Beautiful Women

Our guide, Ash, seized the opportunity, went in after them and asked if we could photograph them. When they assented, all eight of us poured into the room. They were a bit taken aback at our number, but stayed with the agreement and posed - even removing masks for us.

Truly Beautiful

I'm grateful to Ash and these women. Although I only got a few photos, I think they are lovely.

A Wonderful Image to End With

And so ended our group's time in Ladakh. 

Here is the Entire Crew - Photographers, Guides and Drivers

Our ride back to Leh was bumpy and long. We had a nice farewell dinner and the next morning early, we all flew back to Delhi, where we all went our separate ways. It had been an excellent group to travel with. I learned a few things from them, as well as Nathan and Ash. I learned how to wear my cameras so they don't bounce around, ways to think about camera settings and improved post camera processing. We'll hope these lessons continue to benefit me. 

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I will have one more blog from India, where I describe my trip to the Red Fort and Taj Mahal in Agra, then we move on to Europe.