GALLERY
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- In Tibet a cham or masked dance is held to commemorate the victory of Buddhism over Bon (the old animistic religion).
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- Erdene Zuu Monastery, Karakorum, Mongolia. Before Kublai embraced Tibetan Buddhism, the Mongols were shamanistic, worshipping heaven or the “clear blue sky.”
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- “They speak their own language and call themselves Tibet. . . . In this province coral brings a high price for it is hung round the necks of women and idols with great joy.” –Marco Polo
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- The view from St. Mark’s Square, Venice, overlooking the gondola quay and Grand Canal.
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- The Chinese mu yu or slit drum is hollowed out from a solid log, usually in the shape of a fish, and it used ritually in Buddhist and Taoist temples
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- “The Tartars are of all men, the best able to endure exertion and hardship… They will go for a whole month without provisions and can ride a good ten days’ journey without making a fire, living only on the blood of their horses.” – Marco Polo
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- The Cham went on like this for hours, the crowd mumbling their prayers and kneading their prayer beads behind us. We sat mesmerized, in awe of the spectacle in front of us, ringside seats to a forbidden rite.
All Images Copyright Denis Belliveau 2008
Background Image Courtesy of Stephane Toumayan (http://www.flickr.com/photos/60352852@N05/sets/)
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