(17 Feb 2001) Natural Sound
XFA
VOICED BY: Susan Poizner
This month Tibetans are celebrating their New Year - one of the holiest events in the Tibetan calendar.
It's called the Great Prayer Festival of Monlam or "The Festival of Wishing".
As part of the celebrations, Buddhist monks unfurl a giant symbolic tapestry which takes months to prepare.
Devotees flock to touch the Thangka tapestry in order to be blessed.
0001 The Labrang monastery, has been the backdrop for Tibetan New Years celebrations for centuries.
0007 Those who worship there belong to the "Yellow Hat" sect ....lead by the Dalai Lama himself.
0014 Tibetan horsemen lead a procession, followed by local monks. They're carrying a huge tapestry, woven each year to depict the Lord Buddha.
0025 The colourful work is unfurled in front of thousands of pilgrims from all over Tibet.
0031 UPSOUND
0033 But there's not much time to admire it....it's only on display long enough to be blessed.
0041 Then the festivities begin. These celebrations are the Tibetan way of marking the end of the winter and the beginning of spring.
0050 But unlike the winter, which will return next year....this tapestry is marched back to the monastery, perhaps never to be seen again.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
