Mustang Tiji Festival Trek 2012 ( May 17 - 19)
Mustang trek lying in the rain shadow of the Himalayas is perhaps the last enclave of pristine Tibetan culture. Forbidden & isolated from the rest of the World it was able to evolve its own distinctive culture and traditional which is so rich & unique. Lo-Mustang, the capital is walled city ruled by religious king. Untouched by modern society, life in Mustang goes on as it has for centuries in unhurried pace. A trek into the kingdom of Mustang is an unforgettable experience. Upper Mustang is restricted area of Nepal. Who wish to visit Mustang, Have to pay special permit fee and apply for permit any Gov. Resister trekking agency in Nepal.
The festival is a three-day ritual known as "The chasing of the Demons" and it is centered on the Tiji myth. Tiji tells the story of a deity named Dorje Jono who must battle against his demon father to save the Kingdom of Mustang from destruction. The demon father wreaks havoc on Mustang by creating a water shortage which, in this extremely arid land, is the most precious life-sustaining resource. Dorje Jono eventually defeats the demon and banishes him from the land.
Tiji is a celebration and reaffirmation of this myth. Throughout the festival the events and story of the myth are re-enacted. The festival is timed to coincide with the end of the dry season (late winter/spring) and ushers in the wetter monsoon season. Tiji comes from the words "ten che" meaning "the hope of Buddha Dharma prevailing in all worlds" and is a spring renewal festival that also celebrates the triumph of good over evil. In 1964 Michel Peissel was the first westerner to observe the Tiji festival. At this time, the Mustang region was still completely closed off to foreigners and he had to obtain special permission from the government of Nepal in order to enter the region. Despite his arrival on the last day of the celebration the experience left a lasting impression on him. "The scenes I witnessed were so extraordinary and so unexpected that I dared not believe my eyes and even today I have some trouble in believing in the reality of what I saw that day."
TRIP FACTS
Trek Name: Mustang Tiji Festival Trekking
Trek Duration: 15 Days
Best Season: March, April, May,June, July, August, September October are the best seasons.
Trek Grade: Moderate and Strenuous
Accommodation: Tea House or Camping
Maximum altitude: 4320m
Mode of Travel: Drive/Flight: Pokhara/ Flight Jomsom
Mustang Tiji Festival Trek Itinerary
Day 01: Arrive and visit our office for details information.
Day 02: Make a permit and basic preparation of the trek.
Day 3:Kathmandu to Pokhara: about 6 hour drive by tourist bus or fly to Pokhara.
Day 4:Pokhara-Jomsom trek to Kagbeni,
Day 5:Trek from Kagbeni to Chele (3030m).
Day 6:Trek from Chele to Geling (3540m)
Day 7:Trek from Geling to Charang (3600m)
Trek from Day 8:Charang to Lo Manthang (3850m)
Day 9:1 day of Tiji (17 May 2012) The Tiji Festival begins Early in the afternoon, horns resounded, announcing the two twelve-foot copper dunchens, with their elephantine blurting, followed by two double-reeled horns, all accompanied by drum and cymbals,
Next, an ancient and enormous tanka three stories high was unrolled down the entire south wall of the square. The thanka portrayed Padma Sambhava or (Guru Rimpoche) who brought this ceremony to Tibet in the 8th century."
At mid-afternoon, in high wind and blowing dust, eleven lamas in maroon and gold, wearing high red hats, came from the palace and took their places along the wall beneath the thanka, with Tashi Tenzing on the elevated seat just in the center.
As the monks and lamas commence chanting, twelve more monks come from the palace in maroon and royal blue and glittering gold brocade, with cymbal-shaped hats decked with upright peacock plumes. Soon they withdraw, to be replaced by the masked dancers who" start the portrayal of the Tiji myth.
Dorje Jono repels the demon through the power of his magical dancing — he dances fifty-two separate dances, one of them in ten different bodies, each with a different head. As the dances end, Dorje Jono kills the demon, after which his people are relieved of their plague of misfortunes, water becomes plentiful once more, and the balance and harmony of existence are restored.
Day 10:(18 May 2012) Second day of TIji Festival: On the second day of Tiji, numbers of Loba have arrived from the outlying hamlets, and the small square is thronged with wild beautiful people, with all of the women and children, at least, in traditional dress.
The King of Mustang "wears a whole crown of tiny river pearls set off by dozens of large red coralline tones interspersed with matched ornaments of turquoise.
The costumes and masks, the twelve-foot horns, the gold cups of wheat, the butter cakes, the snow peaks and wind and dust and sun, the mehti, snow leopard, snow pigeons, saligrams, the dying glacier and the desert ruins, the drunks and rajas and foreigners, the dogs and yaks.
Day 11:(19 May 2012) Third day of Tiji and end of Festival: On the third day, Tiji ends with the ceremonial destruction of the evil remains, represented by some long black yak hair and red torma cakes minced to a dark red gurry. The demons red remnants are set out on an old tiger skin, where-upon they are attacked by bow and arrow, slings, and the old guns. The poor devils remains are over- turned upon the ground, each time to a wild cannonade from the old muzzle-loaders and a wave of cheers and smoke.
Day 12:Lo-Manthang via Geker – Ghami: Visit Lo-Geker Gompa on the way, which is one of the oldest Gompas in Nepal.
Day 13:Trek form Ghami to Samar
Day 14:Trek from Samar to Kagbeni
Day 15:Trek from Kagbeni to Jomsom
Day 16:Fly from Jomsom to Pokhara and dirve or fly back to Kathmandu
Cost Include
- All airport/hotel transfers
- 3 night hotel in Kathmandu
- All accommodation and meals during the trek
- Domestic flights
- An experienced English-speaking trek leader and Sherpa porters to carry luggage (necessary porters) including their salary, insurance, equipment, flight, food and lodging
- All necessary paper work and permits (National park permit, TIMS)
- Dolpo special permits
- A comprehensive medical kit
- All government and local taxes
Cost Exclude
- Nepal Visa fee (bring accurate USD cash and two passport photographs)
- Airport departure tax
- International airfare to and from Kathmandu
- Excess baggage charges
- Lunch and evening meals in Kathmandu.
- Extra night accommodation in Kathmandu.
- Travel and rescue insurance
- Personal expenses (phone calls, laundry, bar bills, battery recharge, extra porters, bottle or boiled water, shower etc)
- Tips for guides and porters
If above itinerary couldn’t meet your needs, we can design a tailor-made trip to suit your needs. Please let us know whether you would like to make your trip shorter or longer.
TRIP EXTENSION
We’d like to suggest you the following packages are extend your vacation before or after main trip.
- 2 Nights 3 Dayss Chitwan Jungle Safari
- Trisuli River Rafting
- Mount Everest Experience Flight (Mountain flight