Losar festival in Nepal

Celebrations of a traditional Tibetan New Year festival called “Losar” in Boudhanath stupa area in Kathmandu, Nepal.

 

Families prepare for Losar some days in advance by thoroughly cleaning their homes; decorating with fragrant flowers and their walls with auspicious signs painted in flour such as the sun, moon, or a reversed swastika; and preparing cedar, rhododendron, and juniper branches for burning as incense. Debts are settled, quarrels are resolved, new clothes are acquired, and special foods such as kapse (fried twists) are made. A favorite drink is chang (barley beer) which is served warm. Because the words “sheep’s head” and “beginning of the year” sound similar in Tibetan, it is customary to fashion a sheep’s head from colored butter as a decoration. Another traditional decoration that symbolizes a good harvest is the phyemar (“five-grain bucket”), a bucket with a wooden board that creates two vertical halves within. This bucket is filled with zanba (also known as tsamba, roasted qingke barley flour) and barley seeds, then decorated with barley ears and colored butter. (from Wikipedia)

Vegetarian festival on Phuket

Disclaimer: Images in this article contain scenes of self-harm for religious believes of depicted people’s own accord .

The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar.

In Thailand, this festival is called thetsakan kin che (Thai: เทศกาลกินเจ), the Vegetarian Festival. It is celebrated throughout the entire country, but the festivities are at their height in Phuket, where about 35% of the population is Thai Chinese. It attracts crowds of spectators because of many of the unusual religious rituals that are performed.

It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making. Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as “Ma Song”.

Burning man – the Russian way

“Sky and Earth” ethnic music festival
Russia, Tyumen, 2017.

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Poy Sang Long festival in Pai

Poy Sang Long (thai. “Festival of jewel sons”) is one of the main Buddhist festivals celebrated by Shan (Thai Yai) community in Myanmar and Northern Thailand. Literally, it’s a novice ordination ceremony. Young boys aged between 7 and 14 are ordained as novices to learn the Buddhist doctrines. It’s believed that they will gain merit ordaining for their parents.

Location: Pai, Maehongson province, Northern Thailand
Photo: Artem Zhushman