Tibetan Lha-ba, Mountain God Amyes-magpa, who is temporarily manifested in a human medium, holding his hair and a knife with his teeth after cut his forehead.

Amdo Tibetan ‘Klu rol’ Festival — Part I

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Tibetan Lha-ba, Mountain God Amyes-magpa, who is temporarily manifested in a human medium, holding his hair and a knife with his teeth after cut his forehead.
Lha-ba, Mountain God Amyes-magpa, who is temporarily manifested in a human medium, holding his hair and a knife with his teeth after cutting his forehead.

 

Summer is a festive season in Rebgong, Amdo region on the Tibetan plateau, and Klu rol (Lürol) ཀླུ་རོལ། festival is held yearly in many Tibetan villages and a few Monguor villages between June sixteenth and the twenty-fifth of the lunar calendar. My village, Gling-rgyal (AKA Langjia) is one of the most known sites for this folk culture.

Langjiais a tribe that made of seven distinctive community groups. It has about 370 households and a population of 3,000. The term Yar-stod (upper portion) refers to the three sub-villages on the east, and Smad-stod (lower portion) refers to the four sub-villages on the west side. Therefore, there are two Lha-ba (mediums), Amyes-magpa and Amyes-lhari, representing the two parts of the tribe.

My brother Dpal-ldan (Huadan) and Kevin Stuart described the festivity in their Perilous Novelties, “It is perceived to be a time of recreation, not only for local villages but also for mountain gods that loom large in local folk religious beliefs and rituals. During the festival, villagers delight the mountain gods and beseech two male village trance mediums (Lha-ba), who represent mountain gods while they are possessed, to bestow bumper harvests and protect their livestock from calamities. The Lha-ba are thus responsible for exorcizing evils that are damaging to the villagers.”

Lerol is a three-day affair for the public but five days by the hosting village group. I’m sharing this ritual in two posts.

Tibetan ladies from our village, Ru-zhol-ma (Rixuma) welcome Lha-ba, Amyes-lhari.
Women from our village, Ru-zhol-ma (Rixuma) welcome Lha-ba, Amyes-lhari.

 

 

Sang (or bsang of conifer branches, grains and silk clothing) and rlung rta/lungta Tibetan Wind Horse offerings.
Sang (or bsang of conifer branches, grains and silk clothing) and rlung rta/lungta Tibetan Wind Horse offerings.

 

Lerol, Inner players from the host village/group performing inside the large circle of outer dancers.
Inner players from the host village/group performing inside the large circle of outer dancers.

 

Tibetan festival, Tibetan young men, outer dancers, pierced through the cheek by the Lha-pa, Amyes-magpa.
Young men, outer dancers, pierced through the cheek by the Lha-pa, Amyes-magpa.

 

Tibetan ladies, Audience corner from the back.
Audience corner from the back.

 

Tibetan boy dancers from the hosting village/group take part in the procession.
Boy dancers from the hosting village/group take part in the procession.

 

Two Tibetan Lha-ba, Amyes-lhari and Amyes-magpa, perform "goodbye" at the end of the day.
Two Lha-ba, Amyes-lhari and Amyes-magpa, perform “goodbye” at the end of the day.

 

Continue part two of the ritual at Tibetan ‘Klu rol’ Festival in My Village — Part II

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I was born and raised on the Tibetan plateau. And I sing and dance with the utensils in my kitchen, while remembering and storytelling in my mind. Consulting in the realm of user experience (UX) design now based in Madison, WI, US, I’m blessed with the positive responses to my design contributions in the field and winning several awards. Growing up in the mountains of Rebgong (རེབ་གོང། Rebkong, Tongren), a cultural hub, I learned the art of making comfort food and the essence of what it takes to make juicy yak meat dumplings that will splash in your mouth while the delicate wrapper stays perfectly intact. And no one trained me better in cooking than my beloved late grandmother, Sonam. My love of cooking fresh meals daily, gardening and storytelling has continued to this day. And my friends here in the West are continually fascinated with my rich heritage, the dishes I cook, and the stories I share. “Beyond Her Kitchen” is where I celebrate Tibetan culture through food and stories, honoring disadvantaged women & girls. Continue reading at: https://beyondherkitchen.com/meet-jolma

9 Comments

  1. These pictures and this story are amazing Jolma!!!! Thank you so much for sharing these!!!!!

    • Beautiful Jolma! What a beautiful celebration for your people and labor of love on your part.

  2. Jolma, your villagers look great, especially your cousins. Super photography. Thanks for sharing.

    Cordially,
    Larry

  7. Awesome insight to a local festival. You are in Tibet for the summer, Jolma? I love the quality of your photos and the explanations of these precious festivals. Do young people understand them, as well as older and middle aged people?

    • Hi Globalmaddy,

      I was home a couple of summers ago, and the photos of the lurol festival were from that trip. Yes, young Tibetans should understand the purpose of the summer festivity as we celebrate every year. They are the ones the dance, and others participate in it somehow.

      Thank you for stopping by,
      Jolma

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