Driving off Evil Spirits of Tibet

Brief Introduction

On each December the 29th lunar calendar used by the Zang nationality, there will be a grand activity of wecembi at the Potala Palace (in Lhasa, Tibet). And you can also see the analogous activities in the temples. The reason of People holding this activity is that, they think a new year is to come, and they should drive off the evil spirits to get another safe and sound year. On this day, all the temples are to hold a grand wecembi activity, each family will wipe off all the dust and keep the rooms swept and garnished. People think that a new year is to come, only when the ghost and evils are cleaned out, can there be favorable climatic weathers and the land yields good harvests and the people enjoy good health.

The Origin

In Tibetan language, driving off evil spirits is also called Guoduo or Guduo, so people also call the featival as Guoduo Festival. As for the evil spirits, on one hand, it means the souls after people die, on the other hand, it means the spirits of all the things on earth. What's more, these spirits may do harm to we human beings, and a New Year is coming, so the Tibetan people think that it is necessary to drive off the evil spirits, then everything goes well in the New Year.

The Content of the Activity

At the festival, there will be grand wecembi meetings at the Potala Palace and Morulichang. In the temples, the activities are also bustling with noise and excitement. Each family will have a thorough cleanup. Then people sit together to make the Zuotu, containing cobblestones, cayenne pepper, wood charcoal and sheep's wool, to drive off the evil spirits. When it gets dark, each family will hold torches in their hands, shouting and driving off the ghosts. Outside the door, they would dump the left doughball porridge to the ghosts, which may go away before long, people think.

Taboos

You mustn't throw the bones into the fair, because this may draw the ghosts there. Don't whistle at home, because only when people send the ghosts, do they whistle.