Today we had the puja ceremony. This must be done before anyone steps foot on the mountain because Everest or Chomolugma or Sagamartha is considered a sacred mountain.
Puja is a ceremony officiated by a Lama and two or more monks in front of an altar built of stone. Those performing a puja ask the Gods for good fortune for the sherpas and the climbers as they attempt to summit the mountain. In front of the altar, offerings are made to the Gods: yak milk butter, fried dough, fruits, chocolate, and drinks. Juniper burns continuously in a niche in the altar. All the critical climbing equipment is blessed — harnesses, crampons, ice-axes, and helmets. Prayer flags are strewn for 100 feet in several directions. During the ceremony, the sherpas chant along with the Lama and monks, and everyone throws rice. The sherpas raise a pole with juniper branches on the top, and it is a sign of good fortune if a gorak (raven) lands on the pole. The ceremony closes with the participants sharing food, and finally with the climbers and sherpas smearing gray sampa flour on each others’ faces and hair— a symbol of their hope that they may live to see each other when they are old and gray.
|
Cycling Across The Tibetan Plateau Spring 2019 |
|
 Where Lucille has been for the past 24 hours.
|
Our Goldwing
My husband Ted with his beloved...and me too.
Spot
|
|
|
||
|
|
|||
| While I am on a trip, I regularly transmit my position via my Spot tracker. Follow my progress using one of the links below. | ||||
|
Last 24 Hours
Last 2 Days Last 3 Days Last 4 Days Last 5 Days Last 6 Days Last 7 Days |
||||
2 comments:
hey Lucille! I am sure the puja ceremony was vey meaningful! I pray for good fortune for the sherpas and climbers as well (especially for one tiny very determined lady who writes so well!). Not sure where we could get gray sampa flour here - but I too hope to see you when you are old and gray. Climb safely through the ice fall. We want to hear all about it! BIG HUGS!!! Cindy
Happy Anniversary to you both. Glad to hear you got over your cold. Playing in the ice-fields sounds like a nice thing to do. We're getting snow today in Calgary and likely Edmonton as well. Cold and yucky, but good for staying inside and doing homework and reading about your day. Did the bakery open yet??
Stay safe on the ice-fields.
Post a Comment