“The indigenous festival has faced cultural dilution over the years with the formation of a celebration committee”
GANGTOK, August, 08: In a rather unusual setting, a Mun from Dzongu performed the thanksgiving prayers in honour of Mount Tendong here today.
The prayer ceremony was held at BL House here and attended by a large number of people from Dzongu to mark this year’s Tendong Lho Rum Faat.
In the course of the prayers, the Mun, who took possession of Lepcha gods during in trance predicted danger, particularly within the womenfolk, should the pristine environment of the State be damaged or polluted.
It could be recalled here that the same Mun sometime back had predicted bad omens if hydel projects came up at Dzongu. “If you do not revere Mother Nature, she will strike back in the form of deluge or diseases in the world,” she cautioned.
As the young Mun puts it, “The institute of the Mun and Bongthing as ordained have the power to communicate with the gods as well as with the Mungs or the devils or the demons.”
Mun, a female Lepcha priestess is known to the tribe as a divine healer and the one responsible for leading back on Lepcha’s souls after death to the repose somewhere in the vicinity of the mighty Khangchendzonga.
While hailing the prayer ceremony as something extraordinary, Namgyal Lepcha, former President, Sikkim Lepcha Youth Association said that the indigenous festival has been diluted over the years with the formation of a celebration committee to celebrate the event,
Terming the change as “yery sad”, Mr. Lepcha said that celebrating Tendong Lho Rum Faat was initiated in 1993 with the objective of reviving the tribe’s culture and literature as well as to expose the significance of Mun-Bongthing to the outside world.
Before 1993, the observance was a household affair. “Tendong prayers were also confined within our homes with just the Lee Rum ceremony done for our own clan gods,” stated Mr. Lepcha.
The introduction of GB Mainwaring Literary Award, for Lepcha literature promotion, and the revival of Puntong Palit (traditional Lepcha flute) as well as Aprya Bom (on the spot composing of a song) etc have also vanished from the agenda since the festival committee took charge of celebrating Tendong Lho Rum Faat, Mr. Lepcha said.
GANGTOK, August, 08: In a rather unusual setting, a Mun from Dzongu performed the thanksgiving prayers in honour of Mount Tendong here today.
The prayer ceremony was held at BL House here and attended by a large number of people from Dzongu to mark this year’s Tendong Lho Rum Faat.
In the course of the prayers, the Mun, who took possession of Lepcha gods during in trance predicted danger, particularly within the womenfolk, should the pristine environment of the State be damaged or polluted.
It could be recalled here that the same Mun sometime back had predicted bad omens if hydel projects came up at Dzongu. “If you do not revere Mother Nature, she will strike back in the form of deluge or diseases in the world,” she cautioned.
As the young Mun puts it, “The institute of the Mun and Bongthing as ordained have the power to communicate with the gods as well as with the Mungs or the devils or the demons.”
Mun, a female Lepcha priestess is known to the tribe as a divine healer and the one responsible for leading back on Lepcha’s souls after death to the repose somewhere in the vicinity of the mighty Khangchendzonga.
While hailing the prayer ceremony as something extraordinary, Namgyal Lepcha, former President, Sikkim Lepcha Youth Association said that the indigenous festival has been diluted over the years with the formation of a celebration committee to celebrate the event,
Terming the change as “yery sad”, Mr. Lepcha said that celebrating Tendong Lho Rum Faat was initiated in 1993 with the objective of reviving the tribe’s culture and literature as well as to expose the significance of Mun-Bongthing to the outside world.
Before 1993, the observance was a household affair. “Tendong prayers were also confined within our homes with just the Lee Rum ceremony done for our own clan gods,” stated Mr. Lepcha.
The introduction of GB Mainwaring Literary Award, for Lepcha literature promotion, and the revival of Puntong Palit (traditional Lepcha flute) as well as Aprya Bom (on the spot composing of a song) etc have also vanished from the agenda since the festival committee took charge of celebrating Tendong Lho Rum Faat, Mr. Lepcha said.
