Monpa Tsechu (Monpa Mask Dance)

Understand

Where Monpa Tsechu (Monpa Mask Dance) comes from

Tsechu is the central Buddhist festival of the Monpa tribe of the Tawang and West Kameng districts of western Arunachal Pradesh, celebrated at the Tawang monastery (the central monastery of the Monpa tradition, established in 1681 by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso). The festival is one of the most distinctive regional traditions of the Monpa community and is performed at the Tsechu (the 10th day of the lunar month) with the masked dance of the protector deities. The dance is part of the broader Tibetan-Buddhist tradition of the Cham dance and is closely related to the Sikkimese and Tibetan Buddhist-mask dance forms.

How it's practiced

The Monpa Tsechu is performed by monks of the Tawang monastery in a circle at the central courtyard of the monastery or at the open ground of the festival. The monks wear the elaborate mask of the protector deities (the Mahakala, the Yamantaka) and the embroidered silk costume of the Tibetan tradition. The dance is vigorous, with the small warrior-steps of the Cham vocabulary. Music is the long horn (the rong-chen), the large cymbals and the small cymbals of the monastery. Costume is the elaborate Tibetan silk costume with the painted mask. Performances are at the central courtyard of the Tawang monastery and at the cultural programmes of the state.