woven cross – NAMKHA

In the past few days, Tibetan Buddhist monks have been busy creating a huge namkha as part of the Tibetan New Year rituals.

Losar time, 29th day of 12th Tibetan month

Gutor is an important event that closely precedes Losar, the Tibetan New Year. I witnessed this ritual twice in Namdroling. The monks work for several days preparing for this elaborate ritual. Some prepare tormas, some practice lama dances and others prepare the namkha. The offering items are arranged in the temple and empowered by chanting and visualization practice by hundreds of monks lined up sitting in the temple. Two days before Losar, the main item, gegtor, a huge torma made of flour, is ceremoniously taken out of the temple and ushered by the monks to a nearby field outside the monastery wall. (See more photos of this on my other blog here). There, the ceremony continues with more chanting and lama dances. In the end, the offerings are thrown away or burnt. The energies of the old year thus considered cleaned away and the spirits appeased, the Losar festivities are free to begin.

Namkha are thread cross constructions made with coloured strings. They are part of a display called dö [mdos], which includes namkha and other symbolic representations.

Gutor has been the same every year for centuries. Like any Tibetan Buddhist practice, it closely follows a prescribed step-by-step procedure written in ancient Buddhist texts called terma and no deviation is favoured. Creativity is bound by the sacred limits of the revered scriptures. The procedure for constructing of the “gutor” namkha, for example, is described in the Ratna Lingpa terma and is part of the Lü (Naga) offering ritual. The Lü are important beings to be on good terms with.

The namkha is constructed specifically as an offering to the Lü for prosperity and fortune in the coming New Year.

The shapes, colour-sequences and the whole procedure follow the description in the treasure text of Ratna Lingpa from 14th century.

This is a fine example of a namkha thread cross of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and we are fortunate to be able to see these rare photos courtesy to my dear friend, Lama Tsultrim Palyul of Namdroling monastery, who supervised the construction of this particular namkha at the Palyul Centre in the Phillipines for Gutor this year (2019). The photos are used with his kind permission.

February 3, 2019February 4, 2019 by Zuzana Čerňáková Categories: Blog, TibetanTags: ancient tibet, buddhist namkha, gutor, losar rituals, losar traditions, mdos, namkha in tibetan buddhism, ratna lingpa terma, thread cross, tibetan art, tibetan buddhism, tibetan ritual, tibetan thread cross, tibetan woven cross, woven cross Leave a comment

My search for Tibetan Namkha-equivalent art in world cultures takes me to Ireland today.

It’s St. Brigid’s Day, celebrated each year on 1 February in remembrance of Brigid of Kildare, a Christian patron saint of Ireland.

The Goddess of Brigid, her pagan festival Imbolc and the rushen cross are all old folk tradition, most probably of Celtic origin, that was incorporated into Christianity.

The cross has become a symbol of Ireland, similar to the shamrock and harp, the four-armed cross being the most recognizable, though there are regional varieties, such as the three-armed cross.

The materials vary from rushes, reed, straw to wood, grass, hay, goose quills, wire and fabric.

In all its variety, Brigid’s cross is very similar in design and function to the Tibetan Namkha and the Eye of God (Ojo de Dios) of the Huichol indigenous culture of Mexico.

Varieties of Brigid’s cross Source

Traditional Tibetan namkha

Tibetan namkha

The cross seems to have become no more than a mere symbol of a culture today. We’re told that, historically, the crosses were hung up in homes and animal sheds. Newlyweds and those with a new home would commonly receive a cross as a gift for protection and good luck. There’s probably a lot more depth to the tradition than what can now be recollected.