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Dosmoche
| Dosmoche/ Dosmochhey | |
|---|---|
 Cham dance during Dosmoche festival 2018 in Leh Palace | |
| Observed by | Buddhists |
| Type | Religious festival New year Commemoration |
| Significance | being celebrated for peace and prosperity in the coming Ladakhi new year |
| Begins | February |
| Ends | February |
| Date | 28th and 29th day of the 12th month of the Tibetan lunar calendar every year |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Part of a series on |
| Tibetan Buddhism |
|---|
 |
Dosmoche is a festival celebrated in Ladakh, India. It is celebrated in Leh, Likir and Diskit monasteries.[1] It is the last festival of New Year Celebrations, other one is Losar.[2] The two-day Dosmoche festival is a gazetted holiday for Leh district and Zanskar Sub Division. Dosmoche is also known as the "Festival of Scapegoat" and is one of Ladakh's most popular prayer festivals.
History[edit]
Dosmoche was started by the rulers of Ladakh.[3] The festival was started during kingdom of King Lhachen Gongdup/ Lha-chen-Dnos-grub (1295–1320).[3][4] He fought two battles with invaders from Nyungti (Kullu of Himachal Pradesh) to inhibit the exterminatory forces of the battles.[3] Sacred mask dances which is known as Cham dance are carried out in the courtyard of the old chapel. It is below the gates of the Leh Palace.[5] Lamas are drawn from different monasteries from across Ladakh on a rotation basis for this festival.
Celebrations[edit]
High pitched sound of gyaling with the periodic sound of the cymbals echoed off the bare rocky slopes with the rhythmic beats of the drum.[3] Monks looks attractive in multicoloured robes and various masks which represent the forms of various deities including Buddha.[3] They danced to the beats with colorful fluttering surge to ward off evil and welcome universal peace and happiness.[3] mask dances is an essential part of Tantric tradition of Mahayana Buddhism.[6]
At a one-kilometre stretch from Moti-Market to the other end of Leh Bazaar thousands of stalls are also famous in two-day long festival.[6] Thousands of people in colourful dresses got together at Leh bazaar[7] for games like tambola and lotteries and shopping.[6]
Schedule[edit]
Since Ladakh follows the Tibetan lunar calendar and Dosmoche festival comes on the twenty-eighth and twenty ninth and day of the twelfth month Tibetan calendar, every year the festival falls on a different date of the Gregorian calendar.[8]
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 27–28 February |
| 2015 | 17–18 February |
| 2016 | 6–7 February |
| 2017 | 24–25 February |
| 2018 | 13–14 February |
| 2019 | 2–3 February |
| 2020 | 21–22 February |
Gallery[edit]
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References[edit]
- ↑ "Leh, Likir Dosmoche begins". Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- ↑ "Dosmoche Festival". Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Ladakh celebrates winter festival of 'Dosmoche'". Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- ↑ Antiquities of Indian Tibet. Asian Educational Services. 1992. pp. 98–. ISBN 978-81-206-0769-9.
- ↑ "Likir Festival in Likir Gompa". india.com. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "'Leh, Likir Dosmoche begins'". Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- ↑ Usha Sharma (1 January 2008). Festivals In Indian Society (2 Vols. Set). Mittal Publications. pp. 107–. ISBN 978-81-8324-113-7.
- ↑ "Calendar of Monastic festival". Leh official website. Retrieved 1 March 2018.