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Culture
Kagyed Mahakala Chaam
Performed by monks on the same days across a few Kagyupa monasteries in Sikkim, Ladakh and Nepal in honour of the Mahakala (the Great Protector), this dance has been hosted by monasteries for more than 275 years with choreography from the 1st Karmapa based on his ability to see deities.
Chaam Masks
The big, colourful masks with grotesque expressions worn by the Dancing Lamas portrays the Lord of Death, Padmasambhava, the God of Wealth, and the protector of horses and other animals. Hand crafted by the Lamas themselves, the masks are generally made of wood and papier-mâché with a thin coat of plaster.
Chaam – Behind the Scenes
As the chaams is often about the expulsion of negative influences and exorcisms of spirits, the preparation of the chaams is in itself an elaborate ritual of days of recitations of 400 pages long of Buddhist scriptures, countless of prostrations, burning of incenses and circling of the monastery with the accompanying drones secular and religious music.
Chaam: Dorjee Lopon
Often mistaken as the most important element of any Chaam, the Dorjee Lopon, or Single Black Hat Dance is performed solo by a dancing lama who adorns the heavy but miraculous and magical black hat that transports the wearer to a particular state of manifestation. Legend has it that the Black Hat was made from the hair of female angels and offered to the 1st Karmapa.
Dancing Lamas: RolChaam
The Rol Chaam is unique to Sikkim; having been introduced by Chogyal Chgdor Namgyal in Tsuklakhang Monastery. The Rol Chaam which signifies a musical offering to the presiding deities of the locality, as well as the monastery it is performed in, is performed by 12 dancers after the recital of a one-page prayer book.
Chinese Opera Facial Makeup
Dating back to Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) Dynasties Chinese Opera face makeup plays a symbolic artistic function of expressing commendatory and derogatory connotations and that of differentiating benevolence and malevolence. Spending hours to depict the stereotypical characters they play, opera actresses and actors applies the face paint with horse-hair Chinese brushes themselves.
Malaysian Chinese Opera
Chinese Opera is now an incidental ‘performance’ limited to temple celebrations and festivals associated with the need to appease and honour deities. Stylised language, symbolism and feudal stories performed are irrelevant in today’s context, but the poliferation of gloablisation has brought new entertaintment.
Chinese Opera Musician
One of the three oldest dramatic art forms in the world, the delivery of the Chinese Opera’s beautifully written and lyrical dialogues are accompanied by melodious tunes produced by skilled musicians on traditional musical instruments like the Erhu, gong and lute.
The Halal Meat Butcher
The term halal (حلال ḥalāl) and haraam are applied to many facets of life but the most common uses of these terms is in reference to meat products, in particular the slaughtering method used. Whilst the prescribed method of Ḏabīḥah (ذَبِيْحَة) has been applied for centuries, debate on if its inhumane continues despite scientific evidences suggesting otherwise.