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Ache Lhamo and Shoton Festival

By Tenzin Samten  /  April 8, 2022;

 

Photo: Facebook

The 25th Shoton (Yogurt) Festival, the festival of Tibetan Opera, began at the Tibetan Institute of Peforming Arts (TIPA) in Dharamshala on April 6 with participating opera troupes each performing short extracts of their stories on the inaugural day. Attending the opening ceremonies were chief guests Sikyong Pempa Tsering, President of the Central Tibetan Administration and Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoché, along with others.

During the eight-day festival, the various opera troupes will perform different stories of Ache Lhamo through a unique type of classical Tibetan theatre act which includes dance and music performances. Lhamo performances showcased this year include the legendary stories of Pema Woebar, Sugyi Nyima, Choegyal Norsang, Nangsa Woebum, Drowa Sangmo and Chungpo Dhonyo Dhondup.

Sikyong Penpa Tsering in his inaugural address briefly recounted the story of how yogi and scholar Thangtong Gyalpo founded Ache Lhamo, he is also known for his social work in the 14th century. Sikyong lauded the contribution of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the preservation of Tibetan opera in exile, saying that despite the Chinese government’s attempt to destroy Tibetan identity, “under the dynamic leadership of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama over the last 63 years, we have managed to preserve this tradition of opera in its truest form.”

Special audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama Photo: HHDL

Speaking of the participation of the younger generation in the Lhamo performances Sikyong said in a Facebook post, “I am delighted to see a lot of young Tibetans participate in this festival today. Alongside the celebration, the rich history and knowledge inherited from our ancestors must be preserved in the present and bestowed to the future generation. And this responsibility falls on each one of us”.

On the second day of the Festival the troupes were given a special audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the courtyard of Tsugla-khang, the main temple in McLeod Ganj. His Holiness recalled fond memories of the festival back in Tibet and he emphasised the importance of it as part of Tibetan culture that must be protected and preserved. Calling for the preservation of Tibetan culture, His Holiness said that, despite living in exile, Tibetans have strictly followed and preserved Tibetan religion and culture as well as sharing and promoting them to a world-wide audience.
Speaking about the situation of Tibetans living under Chinese occupation His Holiness said,“We cannot resort to violence and banish the Chinese out of our land. However, we can definitely learn to co-exist peacefully through the approach of the Middle Way Policy, while we continue to preserve our own identity”, as reported in tibet.net.

Shoton Festival is a popular seven-day event in Tibet, occurring in the summer months of June and July, as prescribed by the Tibetan calendar. “Sho” in Tibetan meaning yogurt and “Ton” meaning banquet, the name essentially stands for “yogurt feast”. Performers and spectators gather for the festival from around Tibet enjoying activities which include thangka exhibition and a yogurt feast as well as the Tibetan opera performances.

Lhamo story of Pema Woebar by Mussorrie students

In exile, the main focus of Shoton Festival is Lhamo performances of Tibetans now living in different places in exile.

The eight troupes participating in this year’s Shoton Festival in Dharamshala are THS, Mussoorie, Poanta, Chaksamapa, USA, Kalimpong, Bhandara, Kollegal, Nepl and TIPA. The festival will continue till April 13.

 

 

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