Let the Party Begin 💃 – Confessions of a Lady Sindbad

The Thimphu Tsechu Festival, Bhutan – 12 October 2016

//Part 8 of 8 //

I’ve always longed to visit this remote kingdom, the Land of Happiness.The opportunity came to fulfill my dream : the Druk Path Trek. Before the inauguration of the asphalt road, this trail was the only route connecting the valley of Paro to the valley of Thimphu through high mountains passes including the Phume La (4210m).

After being off the radar for 5 days, after a lot of “ups and downs “ through breathtaking landscapes, lakes, mountains and valleys, we made it back to civilization as scheduled, in time for the last day of one of the biggest festivals in the country: the Thimphu Tsechu Festival.

This religious festival is held in the capital city for 3 days . Dressed in their best outfits, thousands of people gathered in the courtyard of the famous Tashichho Dzong; by attending it, they are believed to gain merits.

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We weren’t the only foreigners, we could distinguish a few other tourists equally enthralled by the colourful celebrations. It was a rainy day, however that didn’t affect the performers ( monks and commoners).

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Mask dances like the Guru Tshengye (8 manifestations of Guru Rinpoche), Shaw Shachi ( Dance of the Stags), and many more are usually performed.

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That festival was a great finale to an exciting journey in this mountainous kingdom…

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The Day of the Dead, Guatemala – 2 November 2015

// Part 7 of 8//

This celebration takes place the day after All Saints Day, and like the previous one, it’s celebrated throughout Guatemala 🇬🇹.

From far away, as we drove downhill toward Sunil, we could notice the bustling activities taking place in the village. Hands laden with candles and flowers, entire families headed to the local cemetery. A few kites, held tight, were aiming to the sky amidst the electricity wires. How to describe the atmosphere?

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The graveyard was metamorphosed into the Chelsea Flower Show, barely leaving a bare footpath. Wearing their traditional outfits, “guests of the deceased for the day”- men, women and children – came to be reunited with their cherished relatives. Wishing to spend quality time with them, they made themselves comfortable around their burial vaults and indulged in food and drinks.

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Some families have planned the outing with a punch and brought along musicians, living it up in certain areas of the garden of remembrance.

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Obviously, the strongest family ties I’ve ever seen..how many people miss opportunities to get together with their families while here we get to witness visceral bonds transcending death itself. These families, these people strive to have at least an annual meal among their departed ones while in the very same time, in a different place, some people are willingly skipping a celebration with their living family…

Different people, different mindsets…different values, different priorities….

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Todos Santos Cuchumatán-All Saints Day, Guatemala 1st November 2015

// Part 6 of 8 //

While all of Guatemala celebrates Dia de Todos los Santos, the small hilly town of Todos Santos Cuchumatán is known for having one of the best festivals during which local men hold wild, drunken horse races.

These races are the culmination of a week-long festivities and a mad night of dancing and libations that continue throughout the day of the race for all men, riders included…

Upon arriving to the village, we admired the costumes of the inhabitants and particularly the attires and the headdresses of the racers.

Trying to catch a good view of the races, we climbed up a grassy hill and managed to find ourselves a suitable spot on a rooftop. The track is approximately 100m long and the horses have to cross it 6 times, back and forth, a drunk rider saddled on their back.

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We left during the midday break before the races resumed. According to our guide, we shouldn’t stay until the races are over as the general excitement would have reached an unsettling level and the streets would be lined with men so drunk they can no longer stand.

The races sound like fun but each year there are many injuries, some fatal…and paradoxically that bring honor to the deceased’s family..

Peru, October 2011

//Part 5 of 8 //

In almost every single town we visited, the streets were abuzz with some kind of event.

A procession for Damas Descalzas, Arequipa – 18 October

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The 20th anniversary of the School of Civil Engineering at Universidad Andina Nestor Cáceres Velásquez, Puno – 20 October

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A night procession, Cuzco – 25 October

The School of Fine Arts at Universidad Nacional de Bellas Artes “Diego Quispe Tito” del Cusco has taken over the streets, Cusco – 28 October

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Sunday’s morning weekly parade at the Plaza di Armas, Huancayo – 30 October **

30 kms from Huancayo and about a 40 minutes drive, our afternoon visit to the Convent of Santa Rosa de Ocopa was delayed because we came across a procession we couldn’t bypass … and then the procession and our big bus were slowed down due to the closure of some roads in order not to damage the flower carpets that were laid for the occasion on the tarmac of some streets. The sand carpet in the photo was at the entrance of the Convent.

Lima – 31 October: national day of the “Canción Criolla” (Native Song) is celebrated with native waltzes, polkas, Creole music; for us it was another celebration, the last celebration but I didn’t take any photo…well, it was our last day, we arrived to the capital city towards the end of the day after a 10 hours train journey. I was tired, running out of space on my memory card, running out of time before dinner, and practically running to cross the piazza where our bus was waiting for us. All these reasons and another factor, I call it “BTFAW” – Been There For A While – having been accustomed now to all these streets happenings, we tend to get selective regarding the scenes worth shooting and so refrain from rushing with the camera at each single flash of colour or every sound of music…

Boun That Luang Festival -Vientiane, Laos 24 November 2007

// Part 4 of 8 //

It is the most important Buddhist celebration in Laos. It’s held in That Luang temple during the full moon of the twelfth month of the Buddhist calendar and gathers thousands of people from all the provinces.

The pilgrims assemble at dawn as early as 5:00 AM- to distribute alms to the hundreds of monks who converge from around the country.

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Long before reaching the temple, we had an idea of the situation inside…the crowd had taken over the street leading to the stupa and we could distinguish :

⁃ the devotees seated on plastic mats, entire families, old and young in their best attires, their offerings proudly in front of them.

⁃ the monks standing pragmatically behind the tables “entrusted “ with their offering bowls which would soon be replenished thanks to the passersby’s generosity. Some of them contained paper money, a symbol of prosperity.

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⁃ the offering stands where one has the choice to buy flowers (mostly orange), food (rice, dried fish, water bottles) and even birds which will certainly rejoice at being set free.

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With a central structure’s height of 45m, That Luang is the biggest and most famous stupa in Laos. Considered a national symbol, it was built in 1566 by the king Setthathirah and has relics of the Buddha. We got in through one of the 4 cardinal doors and tried to find a way between the faithful seated on the floor. We might’ve been the only tourists, however our presence didn’t affect the religious fervor of the moment. The seated crowd was oblivious to our presence and intent on listening to the sermon and ignoring our intrusion.

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After the speech, the monks took their places in a stationary row while the faithful started a parallel moving queue.

And this is how the offerings bought outside were moved from one row to the other one.

Following this finale, we moved outside the temple, our senses satiated by the kaleidoscope of colours, sounds and smells and eager to start the visit of the capital.

The Nat Festival – Bagan, Myanmar 9 February 2005

// Part 3 of 8 //

Again, as for the previous festival, it’s pure luck that allowed us to witness today’s celebration. We were on our way to Mont Popa, when we noticed that some activity was being held in the village’s temple: the Nat festival.

The Nats are spirits worshipped in Myanmar in conjunction with Buddhism. Almost all of the 37 Nats were human beings who met violent deaths.

Never to miss this kind of opportunity, we asked for the bus to stop and made our way inside the pagoda.

A quick scanning of the offerings: fruits platters with an abundance of liquor bottles. In fact, the Nat U Min Gyaw lacked the desire and the will to combat two vices frowned upon in Buddhist teachings: alcohol and gambling. This annual festival offers a legitimate excuse to indulge, and apparently people don’t let this occasion pass without maximizing on the opportunity.

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We were early, the only audience. It wasn’t long before we realized that the graceful dancer performing in front of the row of colorful Nat statues was in fact a man. He was wearing a long shiny embroidered dress with a train and heavy make up.

He invited us to follow him into his changing room…more like the backstage of a theater than a temple

His colleagues were getting ready …

Even though we interrupted the rehearsals, we were granted a warm welcome, big smiles then were offered laminated “business cards” and stamped paper money which they promised will bring us luck.

Our guide explained that the tips we offered will be stamped and recycled to other guests as “good luck charms”.

I still have them in my album, my lucky charms.

The Novice Festival – Bagan,Myanmar 8 February 2005

//Part 2 of 8//

A beautiful morning in the temple city of Bagan, the scheduled visit to the Nan Kaba Pagoda – VIII – near Myin Kaba village turned out to be much more than we had planned for. Once there, our curiosity was aroused by incongruously loud music.

Nonplussed, our guide was quick to explain that it should be the Shin Pyu, the festival of the novices because it’s the season. Our confusion didn’t last, dispelled by the following flood of information…we were in a village celebrating the most important event in the life of a Burmese: his entry to a monastery. As not everyone can partake in the noble endeavor of the minority wishing to become a monk, there is a way to experience the latter lifestyle: every male should stay in a Buddhist monastery as a novice monk for a certain period of time whether for a week, a month, three months or more, and his noviciate brings blessings to his family.

This important event is celebrated with a big party, the Shin Pyu. Our guide pointed out that we were lucky to be visiting during this month and witness the celebrations as February, March and April are the post- harvest, Shin Pyu season : the funds earned from the sale of the rice subsidize the costly ceremony. Sometimes, many parents- the case today – join efforts to finance their children’s pre-noviciate celebrations.

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With this acquired knowledge, we watched with great interest the adults clad in a kaleidoscope of colours and a plethora of textiles, mostly silk, parading in front of us in two parallel rows.They appeared to be the parents, carrying in front of them the noviciat’s belongings, 8 necessary objects : an alms bowl, a razor, a fan, an umbrella, a sewing needle, and the 3 items of clothing that make up the monk’s outfit.

The adults were followed by the novices dressed like young princes in rich colours, with a paper crown on their head.

After a rushed photoshoot, we followed our interrupted program, and entered half heartedly the overlooked temple .

However, as soon as we exited the pagoda, we were reunited with the stars du jour, now each one of them riding a beautifully decorated horse and accompanied by an umbrella-holding attendant to shield him from the sun.

*** Some families followed on foot, others on decorated oxen carts.

A déjà vu situation: we left them reluctantly in order to resume the scheduled visits and trusted our guide to take us back later to watch the ceremony.

Eventually, much later, towards the end of the day, we made it to the party in full swing. Guided by the loud music, we reached the pandal, an erected shelter where dancing and singing were taking place. We were the only “party crashers “ i.e. non Burmese spectators, however people made place for us. We watched with great interest the novices being blessed by a holy man, observed him performing the rituals that followed. Later on, we joined in the fun, enjoyed the party, and cheered the 2 entertainers who alternated their parts on the stage.

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We left before the novices got their heads shaved, and wondering will it be here or in the monastery?

Let the Party Begin

// Part 1 of 8//

Traveling in itself is a rewarding experience, and the icing on the cake is when you witness a particular celebration during your stay. If you do your homework properly, you can time your trip according to annual happenings in your planned destination. We did it when we visited Laos 🇱🇦 for the Boum That Luang Festival, worked it out to be in a Guatemala 🇬🇹 celebrating All Saints Day and next day’s colourful Day of the Dead …and while in Bhutan 🇧🇹, we ended the Druk Path Trek with a big celebration:The Thimphu Tsechu Festival.

However, you might stumble upon such events unknowingly and that’s even better…forget the anticipatory hype and the build-ups, the surprise factor doubles the pleasure and is truly the cherry on top of the icing on the cake..Talking from experiences, twice in Myanmar and 5 times in Peru !!

Noviciation Ceremony known as Shinbyu, Pagan, Myanmar – 8 February 2005

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Nat Festival, Mt Popa, Myanmar – 9 February 2005

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Boun That Luang Festival,Vientiane, Laos – 24 November 2007
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