Mass Blessing
Scott and I have yet to take out any money since we were in Thimphu back in early February. Without an ATM card yet, the only way to do it is it to go to Trashigang and take it out from the bank. Of course, the banks are only open during business hours, during which I’m always teaching. The solution – take a couple hours off from school and go into Trashigang and visit the bank. The day that I had talked to my principal about doing it happened to coincide with the day that all my teachers were allowed to take off after lunch. In fact, all classes were cancelled after lunch, a half day holiday. The occasion – Je Khempo was blessing people in Trashigang.
Apparently, money gets taken out of my co-workers’ salaries for this sort of thing, to pay for a mass blessing in the district from Je Khempo, so it only seems fair that teachers get the opportunity to attend. As many things in Bhutan are, it was just planned and announced very last minute.
After lunch I got a ride from other teachers and went into Trashigang. Scott and I were down to our last 500 ngultrums, a little more than USD$10. I was desperate to get to the bank, but knew I should attend some of the blessing ceremony as well. It was supposed to start at 1. We were getting there a little late. Sir Tandin, who was driving, estimated it would take less than an hour. I decided to go to the ceremony first and then go to the bank, which closes at 4.
The blessing was taking place at the high school, one of the highest points of Trashigang town. Apparently, ceremonies and rituals have been taken place all week. Mostly, people in Trashigang attended, but many also traveled to attend and stayed with friends in Trashigang. The ceremonies this week were all-day functions. People who attended got fed meals and refreshments. Today though, many, many more people took off work and school and traveled to attend the mass blessing.
I was told that around 500 people attended daily throughout the week but for this last day, there were several thousands.
Madam Karma, who had brought her baby, and I found Rinchen under the covered area with her family. We founds places to sit in front of them. People were seated on plastic mats and pieces of cardboard. There were young people there, probably students from the high school as well as from other schools. I even spotted some of my students from a distance. There were old people there, and of course, everyone in between. I recognized few faces. It was a sight I had never seen before in Bhutan. Rows and rows upon rows and rows of people, waiting.
I didn’t end up going to the bank that day. People I knew told me it was closed due to the ceremony. So I waited with the others for hours and hours. Je Khempo didn’t start the blessings until three. Karma, Rinchen, and I happened to be in the section that would be blessed last. After all, we were seated under covering and there were thousands of people sitting in the open air and the sky looked threatening.
It was a big event. The governor, the vice governor, and other important Trashigang figures were seen walking around among the crowds. The people were not just receiving a blessing from Je Khempo, but from a number of other figures including some young reincarnates. People didn’t just get tapped on the head by a stick, they also got tapped with other objects, smeared with paint on their cheeks and chin, given blessed ara and handfuls of blessed cookies and bread and chips. Others had come prepared with containers and bags. As usual, I had nothing but my hands.
Je Khempo
At one during the mass blessing, a fancy chair was being carried into the aisles. Je Khempo needed a rest about half way through. When he got to the chair, he sat for some time, got up and resumed the blessings.
Apparently, money gets taken out of my co-workers’ salaries for this sort of thing, to pay for a mass blessing in the district from Je Khempo, so it only seems fair that teachers get the opportunity to attend. As many things in Bhutan are, it was just planned and announced very last minute.
After lunch I got a ride from other teachers and went into Trashigang. Scott and I were down to our last 500 ngultrums, a little more than USD$10. I was desperate to get to the bank, but knew I should attend some of the blessing ceremony as well. It was supposed to start at 1. We were getting there a little late. Sir Tandin, who was driving, estimated it would take less than an hour. I decided to go to the ceremony first and then go to the bank, which closes at 4.
The blessing was taking place at the high school, one of the highest points of Trashigang town. Apparently, ceremonies and rituals have been taken place all week. Mostly, people in Trashigang attended, but many also traveled to attend and stayed with friends in Trashigang. The ceremonies this week were all-day functions. People who attended got fed meals and refreshments. Today though, many, many more people took off work and school and traveled to attend the mass blessing.
I was told that around 500 people attended daily throughout the week but for this last day, there were several thousands. Madam Karma, who had brought her baby, and I found Rinchen under the covered area with her family. We founds places to sit in front of them. People were seated on plastic mats and pieces of cardboard. There were young people there, probably students from the high school as well as from other schools. I even spotted some of my students from a distance. There were old people there, and of course, everyone in between. I recognized few faces. It was a sight I had never seen before in Bhutan. Rows and rows upon rows and rows of people, waiting.
I didn’t end up going to the bank that day. People I knew told me it was closed due to the ceremony. So I waited with the others for hours and hours. Je Khempo didn’t start the blessings until three. Karma, Rinchen, and I happened to be in the section that would be blessed last. After all, we were seated under covering and there were thousands of people sitting in the open air and the sky looked threatening.
It was a big event. The governor, the vice governor, and other important Trashigang figures were seen walking around among the crowds. The people were not just receiving a blessing from Je Khempo, but from a number of other figures including some young reincarnates. People didn’t just get tapped on the head by a stick, they also got tapped with other objects, smeared with paint on their cheeks and chin, given blessed ara and handfuls of blessed cookies and bread and chips. Others had come prepared with containers and bags. As usual, I had nothing but my hands.
Je Khempo At one during the mass blessing, a fancy chair was being carried into the aisles. Je Khempo needed a rest about half way through. When he got to the chair, he sat for some time, got up and resumed the blessings.
posted by Siapiau | 8:43 PM
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