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Showing posts from January 6, 2013

Seven at a Blow: A Bhutanese Folktale

One day a man bought a kilogram of butter. He kept it on his altar and went out. When he came, he saw swarms of houseflies landed on his butter. In anger, he punched the butter killing seven of them. Proud to have killed seven poor flies with a blow, he wrote “seven at a blow,’’ on his shirt and worked by the king’s courtyard again and again. Finally, king saw him and summoned him to the court. “Did you kill seven men with a blow?’’ the king asked incredulously. “Yes Your Majesty,” he lied expecting some rewards. The king was happy to come across a man like him. So king told the man, “I want you to do me a favour.’’ “Anything Your Majesty,” he replied pompously with false sense of confidence. “There is garuda couple on the mountain. It not only killed my people, it also tried to attack me many times. If you could kill them, I will give you anything you ask,’’ said the king. Garuda is a mythical bird that preyed on human being and animals. The man shivered with fright b

Chu Ngi Pai Losar

Chu Ngi Pai Losar is a New Year observed on 1 st day of the 12 th month of Bhutanese calendar. It is also sometimes called a Sharchogpai Losar, the Losar of Easterners or people of eastern Bhutan. Of two New Year celebrated in a calendar year in Bhutan, one is celebrated as mentioned earlier and other is celebrated   on 1 st day of 1 st month known as Dangpa Losar. The Chu Ngi Pai Losar is not celebrated by many of the people of western Bhutan while Dangpai is celebrated throughout Bhutan. Above all, Tibetan communities throughout the world celebrate Dangpai Losar for a week(s) which is why it also got the name Boepai Losar. On these days, relatives tried to meet and feast together. They don’t argue and quarrel because they believe that they will have to fight for one whole year. In eastern Bhutan, I believed that Chu Ngi Pai Losar is celebrated as end of harvest which means end of the season’s work while Dangpai Losar is a beginning for another working year in village.