Hemis Festival

Hemis festival is the celebration of the Guru Padmasambhava’s Birth Hemis Festival. He is also called Guru Rimpoche. People recognised him to be a manifestation of Lord Buddha. 

It is a very prominent festival amongst the visitors. People from different parts of the world visit Ladakh to witness this colourful celebration. Hemis festival is also a very significant Buddhist festival in the Ladakh region. Let’s learn why the hemis festival is celebrated?

Hemis Gompa is the most prominent monastery in Ladakh. It is a very large and the wealthiest monster in Ladakh. Thousands of tourists visit this monastery in Ladakh. Hemis is a celebration of two days. It is marked on the tenth day of the Tibetan Calendar’s fifth month. This generally falls in June-July. 

The Buddhist paintings are exhibited on both days of celebration. These paintings are called thangkas. Key aspects of the hemis festival of Ladakh are that every 12years, a large thangka is unfurled during the celebration of the Hemis festival in Ladakh. It is usually done on the first day of the celebration.

Important Aspects Of The Hemis Festival

Hemis festival is a celebration of the history of good over bad. It is believed that Vajrayana Buddhism assisted Lord Padamsambhav in conquering the negative forces. Thus, the locals of Ladakh and the region around Leh cherish this day on a large scale. 

• The month of celebration of Hemis festival: June-July
• The major attraction of the Hemis festival: Unfurling the Buddhist paintings. Cham dance 
• Devil Dances: this dance is a little different from the champ dance. It is performed as an important part of a festival portraying the cultural aspects of Ladakh and the monastery
• The local shops: The exhibitions organised during the festival are very colourful and exotic. People visiting Ladakh during this time can shop for rare items that are only available in this region
• Chang: It is a local drink that is especially available during this festival

How Is The Hemis Festival Celebrated?

It starts with the devotees taking blessings of the Guru early in the morning. The musicians play engaging during the ceremony. The most beautiful thing about the festival is the traditional dance performance. This is called cham. This dance is a perfect illustration of the depiction of the war between the good and bad. The ultimate winner of the dance is good. 

Apart from dance music and food, another striking part of the festival is the colourful exhibition. Visitors can buy Tibetan souvenirs and local products during the exhibition. It is a perfect time to glimpse the locals dressed in their bright traditional attires.

Conclusion

The people, mountains, river, valleys and the entire setting in Ladakh soak on the nearby drums, cymbals, trumpets and other instruments. In this chapter, You must have learned why the hemis festival is celebrated? This festival is celebrated for two days in Ladakh in the Hemis Monastery. The Hemis Monastery is around 300 years old. Namgyal ruled it.

The full view of the festival is colourful and enthusiastic. The entire crowd celebrates the festival with full zeal, passion and devotion. 

Many traditional dances accompany this famous festival. The Cham Dance is the most famous one. It is a dance carried out in the Hemis monastery to the music of cymbals and drums. People also play special Tibetan music with a long pipe-like instrument, part of Tibetan culture.