Monk Dance Temple Festival Eastern Tibet - 2018

Tagong is a small Tibetan town in Kham region of Eastern Tibet, where a traditional Buddhist festival is held annually in the Tibetan temple courtyard over two days. Buddhist monks perform religious rituals and Tibetan dances - known as Cham dance. These meditative costumed and masked dances (which are rehearsed the day before without the masks) are accompanied by monks playing traditional Tibetan music. The dances include sacred mantras and repetitive movements designed to rid evil from the world. On the second morning, horsemen from the surrounding area gather in the temple courtyard with their horses to receive auspicious blessings from the resident monks. This temple is unique by including horses in their Tibetan temple ceremony.