Tibetan women's festival: Balaam Festival

Every year, we celebrate Women's Day, which is a legal holiday. Among the ethnic minorities in China, there are also some festivals featuring women, such as the Waer Russian Foot Festival of the Qiang people. Today, the festival of ethnic minorities will introduce you to the festival of Tibetan women-Baila Festival. Let's get to know it now.

Bai La Festival is a traditional festival for Tibetan women, also known as "Fairy Festival", which falls on 10/5 in Tibetan calendar every year. The so-called "Bailam" is Tibetan, also translated as "Bailam" and "Baila Rizhu", and Chinese means "lucky girl". The shape of the goddess Balaam is generally as follows: fair skin, two arms on one side, three slender eyes showing kind eyes and a slightly open mouth; The bun is towering, wearing a crown and earrings with gold rings; Wearing a green coat, scarlet robe and red boots, sitting on the lotus seat.

The goddess Balaam holds a long arrow with a white pole in her right hand, and a pair of dice are hung on the arrow, suggesting that she is related to the holy lake and divination; Holding a bowl full of jewels in his left hand. She can bring happiness to unfortunate women, beauty to ugly people, hope to pessimistic people and happiness to lovers. There is a saying in Tibet that women in Lhasa are smart and graceful because of the protection of the goddess Balaam.

According to legend, Balaam is the eldest daughter of Bandan Ram, one of the highest protectors of Tibetan Buddhism. She fell in love with Chizunzan, the protector of Jokhang Temple, and made a lifelong contract in private. When Bandan Ram found out, he was very angry about his eldest daughter's love. He forbade them to fall in love. If he can't stop it, he will curse that she can't find a husband in her life, and even if she does, she will only see her once a year.

Then, Bandan Ram drove Chizunzan to the south bank of Lhasa River, stipulating that Balaam and Chizunzan could meet each other across the river only on October 15th of the Tibetan calendar every year, but they could only visit each other and light half a candle. In this way, Balaam and Chizunzan suffered the torture and suffering of separation year after year.

Although the love life of the goddess Balaam is very unfortunate, she is a kind and friendly protector, especially for women and children. The women in Lhasa are very sympathetic to her. On October 15th of the Tibetan calendar, the day when the goddess and Chizunzan face each other across the river is designated as the most solemn festival in Lhasa-Balaam Festival.

Whenever the festival comes, women will come to Jokhang Temple to burn incense and kowtow, worship the goddess Balaam and pray for smooth sailing in love. At this time of the year, women in Lhasa will sing and March in the city with the Balaam statue of Jokhang Temple, and on this day, men are particularly kind and respectful to women.

On the day of "Balang" Festival, Tibetan girls will not only make wishes in front of the Statue of Goddess, but also go to Barkhor Street in groups of three to five to ask men for money in the name of offering sacrifices to the Goddess. Actually, it doesn't matter whether they can get the money or not. A sense of ceremony brings more happiness than getting money. And men are particularly generous on this day and will not give up.

On the day of "Bai La Rizhu", women in Lhasa will carry their own highland barley wine to worship Bandan Ram and her daughters. The process of offering wine is to pour a potbellied iron bucket in front of the frog face statue, and the wine flows out from the hose at the end of the iron bucket. The wine that flowed out was regarded as "blessed" by the goddess. Women who offer wine will pick up bottles and flagons that have just been emptied, and women who don't have pots will hold them in their hands, pick up some and wipe the wine on their heads.

In addition to providing wine, women will also bring Ciba and highland barley grains and scatter these tributes in the mulberry stove. Women who came out of Jokhang Temple with white Hada tied to their chests and blessed by the goddess drank highland barley wine at street corners and sang ancient Tibetan operas together. It can be said that Balaam Day is more of a day for Tibetan women to get together with old friends and have a collective carnival.