Mani Rimdu

Mani Rimdu Festival is celebrated at Tengboche, Thame, and Chiwong Monasteries of Solukhumbu district of Nepal. This festival is celebrated by Buddhists in the Himalayas to mark the founding of Buddhism by Guru Rinpoche. This is a sacred ceremony with a series of events of empowerment. It is a sequence of nineteen days celebration, which concludes with three days public festival. Many trekkers try to coincide this festival with their trek so that they can witness this festival.

Mani Rimdu begins with the blowing of horns in the afternoon after which the resident Rimpoche of the monastery accompanied by other monks chant prayers. Huge crowds from nearby villages gather to celebrate. The gathering is blessed and given holy water and auspicious pellets for good luck and longevity. An orchestra of cymbals, horns, flutes, and conch shells announces the start of the second day’s celebrations. Monks in colorful robes and huge glowering masks perform dances symbolizing the destruction of evil. On the last day, there is a fire ritual (Jinsak) in which evil is destroyed symbolically, tormas (figures made of dough) are consigned to a sacred fire.