Tibetans of the Repkong area in the Amdo province have celebrated Laru for millennia. This ancient pre-Buddhist dancing festival allows the villagers and their Mountain God to party, exorcise evil spirits, and influence the future. Trance mediums, or lhawas, channel the Mountain God for long periods on and off for the four day event. The Mountain God prognosticates the future and gives the villagers a kind of report card in word, gesture and blood. More blood generally means there is more to atone for. Lhawas in some villages sacrifice a goat as well, although this may not be necessary in the event that the village is doing cool. The Laru sequences captured in this film are extraordinary because they feature TWO Mountain Gods meeting together for a kind of summit, because this village has two levels, two mountains, and two Mountain Gods. The Laru interpretation above stems from several conversations between Raki Shangles, Amos Happ and villagers, but should be considered sketchy at best!
We were at ease during Laru, having already participated in much crazier ChickenHed parties. (http://www.chickenhed.us)
For more film and imagery of our sojourn in Tibet, go to http:www.amoshapp.com/tibet.htmlTibetans of the Repkong area in the Amdo province have celebrated Laru for millennia. This ancient pre-Buddhist dancing festival allows the...all »Tibetans of the Repkong area in the Amdo province have celebrated Laru for millennia. This ancient pre-Buddhist dancing festival allows the villagers and their Mountain God to party, exorcise evil spirits, and influence the future. Trance mediums, or lhawas, channel the Mountain God for long periods on and off for the four day event. The Mountain God prognosticates the future and gives the villagers a kind of report card in word, gesture and blood. More blood generally means there is more to atone for. Lhawas in some villages sacrifice a goat as well, although this may not be necessary in the event that the village is doing cool. The Laru sequences captured in this film are extraordinary because they feature TWO Mountain Gods meeting together for a kind of summit, because this village has two levels, two mountains, and two Mountain Gods. The Laru interpretation above stems from several conversations between Raki Shangles, Amos Happ and villagers, but should be considered sketchy at best!
We were at ease during Laru, having already participated in much crazier ChickenHed parties. (http://www.chickenhed.us)
For more film and imagery of our sojourn in Tibet, go to http:www.amoshapp.com/tibet.html«
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