Gangtok, Dec 29 (IANS) Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Sunday extended greetings on the occasion of the Kagyed Dance Festival being celebrated across the mountain state.
CM Tamang said, “On this auspicious occasion of the Kagyed Dance Festival, I extend my warmest greetings to the people of Sikkim. May the masked monks’ performances symbolize the victory over negativity and inspire a year of peace and prosperity. Let us honour the cultural heritage of our festivals with mutual respect and unity.”
“Wishing everyone enduring happiness, love, and the dawn of new opportunities in our lives,” he added.
A customary dance festival, it is celebrated annually in Sikkim and falls on the 28th and 29th day of the 10th month of the Tibetan calendar, which as per the English calendar is December. In various monasteries, Lamas dance and sing in honour of eight tantric gods and goddesses known as the Kagyed. The Lamas also pray to these deities, asking them to protect people from evil spirits that torture them and provide them with good health and good fortune.
According to an official release, the festival is celebrated by Buddhists and takes place in monasteries, particularly at the Old Rumtek Monastery, Phodong Monastery and the Tshuklakhang Palace. Kagyed Dance or Chaam is another Buddhist festival unique to Sikkim. The celebrations commence two days before the onset of the Loosong festival, which is another major festival. Monks elaborately dress in traditional attires with ceremonial swords and masks swaying to the rhythm of echoing drums and trumpeting horns swiftly and gracefully in perfect coordination with their fellow dancers depicting narrativized tales from Buddhist mythology, particularly the chronicles of Guru Padmasambhava and his powers.
“Not only is the Chaam a symbol of victory but it is also believed that those who witness it are supposedly blessed with good health and wealth. It eventually comes to a closure with the burning of effigies made with flour, wood and paper. A number of variants are performed on different festivals, with one thing remaining common in all, i.e., the masks representing scores of human, deities and animal faces enacting an interesting story from Buddhist mythology,” the official statement added.
–IANS
tdr/dpb
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
