Sacred Pays and Festirals. — The monthly festivals are four, and are coimccted with the phases of the moon. No animal food must be eaten, but ordinary avocations need not be discontinued. There are particular festi- vals for each month, and three great annual festivals. "The Lor/ ijSsur, or the festival of the new year, in February, marks the commencement of the season of spring, or the victory of light and warmth over dark- ness and cold. The Lamaists, like the Buddhists, cele- brate it in commemoration of the victory obtained by the Buddha Sakyamuni over the six heretic teachers. It lasts lifteen days, and consists of a series of feasts, dances, illuminations, and other manifestations of joy; it is, in short, the Thibetan Carnival. The second fes- tival,' probably the oldest festival of the Buddhistic Church, is held in commemoration of the conception or incarnation of the Buddha, and marks the commence- ment of summer. The third is the u-aier-feast, in Au- gust and September, marking the commencement of au- tumn" (Chambers),
Ceremonies. — Tvisol, or prayer for ablution, is among the most sacred of Buddhist rites. The " ceremony of continued abstinence" is performed once or twice a year, and occupies four days, prayers being read in praise of Padmapani.
Rites are also observed for the attainment of super- natural faculties called Siddhi, of which eight classes are distingiushed : the power to conjure; longevity; water of life; discovery of hidden treasures; entering into In- dra's cave ; the art of making gold ; the transformation of earth into gold ; the acquiring of the inappreciable jewel.
This siddhi, however, cannot be obtained without cer- tain austerities, observances, and incantations. The lat- ter must be repeated a fixed number of timer., as, for in- stance, 100,000 times a day. Meditation is always nec- essary.
Peculiar ceremonies are observed for securing the as- sistance of the gods : these are the rite iJnhJed, or mak- ing ready a burnt-offering, which has various names and is diflerently observed, as the " sacrifice for peace," the "rich sacrifice," to secure good harvests; the sacrifice for power, to obtain influence or success ; the " fierce sac- rifice," to secure protection from untimely death, etc. Incantation of Lungta, or "the horse of the wind," is powerful for good, as is also the talisman Changpo, which protects from evil spirits. The evil spirits are limited in their mischief by the magical figure Phurbu, a triangle drawn on paper covered with charms. Among the multitudinous ceremonies are those performed in cases of illness. Each malignant spirit causes some par- ticular disease : Eahu inflicts palsy, others cause chil- dren to fall sick, etc. Charms, noisy music, and pray- ers accompany what rude medicine is administered.
" Baptism and confirmation are the two principal sac- raments of Lamaism. The former is administered on the third or tenth day after birth ; the latter, generally when the child can walk or speak. The marriage cere- mony is to Thibetans not a religious, but a civil act ; nevertheless, the lamas knov» how to turn it to the best advantage, as it is from them that the bridegroom and bride have to learn the auspicious day when it should be performed; nor do they fail to complete the act with prayers and rites, which must be responded to with handsome presents" (Chambers).
"The bodies of rich laymen are buried, and their ashes preserved, while those of the common people are either exposed to be devoured by birds or eaten by sa- cred dogs, which are kept for the purpose, and the bones are pounded in mortars, and given to the animals in the shape of balls. Eich persons about to die are assisted by lamas, who let out the soul by pulling the skin from the skull and making a hole in it. Eeligious services for departed souls are said in the ratio of payment re- ceived. The mode of the funeral is determmed by as- trology" (Appleton\
Great importance is attached to astronomy, and ta- bles of divination are in high esteem, as are soothsayers' formulas.
Holy Places. — " The principal holy place in Thibet is Lassa, with the monasteries Lha-brang, the cathedral ; Ba-mo-tshhe (great circuit), wherein is the Chinese idol of Fo; and Moru (pure"), having a celebrated print- ing-office. Near the city is Gar-ma-khian (mother clois- ter), wherein bad spirits are personated, and about a mile distant a three-pointed hill, with the chief of aU monasteries and palaces, called Potala ( Buddha's ^Slount), occupied by about 10,(100 lamas in various dwellings. Several fine ]iarks and gardens adorn the environs of the holy city. Among the thirty great lamaseries in the neighborhood are Sse-ra (golden), on the road to Mon- golia, with Buddha's sceptre floating in the air, and 15,000 lamas; 'Brass ssPungss (branch-heap), founded by the reformer, with a jMongolic school, odO sorcerers, and 15,000 lamas; and dGal Dan (.Joy of heaven), also built by the reformer, whose bodj' sometimes converses with the 8000 lamas. On the road to Ssu-tchuan is
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LA MARCK