Carolyn Second Entry
02/28/07 15:16
Hello there-
Today begins the 3-day celebration of the Tibetan new year, or Losar. All Tibetan families have been running around buying goods and cleaning to prepare for the biggest festival of the year. On Friday we rolled dough over our bodies hoping to keep away disease for the year. Then we placed a piece of our clothing in the dough and put it in a bowl with pieces of food, sugar, salt, and tea. Then Pala constructed a "bad god" out of dough and put it in the bowl as well. Eventually we took this bowl outside and blew it up with fireworks (ideas about fire safety, especially after drinking, are quite lax here!). Also that night, we had a special soup called goothug. It contains some tiny dumplings, some of which have special contents. For instance, I got a piece of wood in one dumpling (symbolizing that I will be lazy this year). I think my Amala gave me that dumpling on purpose!
A lot of chang is flowing everywhere as well (an alcoholic fermented barley drink). In fact, we had an oral Tibetan language test yesterday (after a two hour written one) and our teachers made us drink chang before the test saying it would, "help us to speak Tibetan better." It didn't really work...but it was funny.
Last night at home we constructed a pyre out of fried dough and a lama came and placed pieces of tear-shaped butter on it. Then we meticulously gathered bowls of dried grapes, figs, apricots, nuts, candies, and fruit and put them around the altar. Today my Amala woke me at 4 am to a bowl of hot chang (after which I went back to sleep). Later everyone dressed in their finest chupas (Tibetan garb), myself included, and we headed out to the temple at the monastery of His Holiness. We circled the Temple three times amongst HUGE crowds and made our offerings inside as well. Needless to say, a fair amount of socializing was happening there too.
I'll try to send out some picutres in the next few days.
Please keep me up to date on what is new with you all!
Carolyn
Today begins the 3-day celebration of the Tibetan new year, or Losar. All Tibetan families have been running around buying goods and cleaning to prepare for the biggest festival of the year. On Friday we rolled dough over our bodies hoping to keep away disease for the year. Then we placed a piece of our clothing in the dough and put it in a bowl with pieces of food, sugar, salt, and tea. Then Pala constructed a "bad god" out of dough and put it in the bowl as well. Eventually we took this bowl outside and blew it up with fireworks (ideas about fire safety, especially after drinking, are quite lax here!). Also that night, we had a special soup called goothug. It contains some tiny dumplings, some of which have special contents. For instance, I got a piece of wood in one dumpling (symbolizing that I will be lazy this year). I think my Amala gave me that dumpling on purpose!
A lot of chang is flowing everywhere as well (an alcoholic fermented barley drink). In fact, we had an oral Tibetan language test yesterday (after a two hour written one) and our teachers made us drink chang before the test saying it would, "help us to speak Tibetan better." It didn't really work...but it was funny.
Last night at home we constructed a pyre out of fried dough and a lama came and placed pieces of tear-shaped butter on it. Then we meticulously gathered bowls of dried grapes, figs, apricots, nuts, candies, and fruit and put them around the altar. Today my Amala woke me at 4 am to a bowl of hot chang (after which I went back to sleep). Later everyone dressed in their finest chupas (Tibetan garb), myself included, and we headed out to the temple at the monastery of His Holiness. We circled the Temple three times amongst HUGE crowds and made our offerings inside as well. Needless to say, a fair amount of socializing was happening there too.
I'll try to send out some picutres in the next few days.
Please keep me up to date on what is new with you all!
Carolyn
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