Old tooth of Buddha. Esala Perahera Festival in Sri Lanka
Old tooth of Buddha. Esala Perahera Festival in Sri Lanka

Video: Old tooth of Buddha. Esala Perahera Festival in Sri Lanka

Video: Old tooth of Buddha. Esala Perahera Festival in Sri Lanka
Video: Fran Forman - YouTube 2024, May
Anonim
Old tooth of Buddha. Esala Perahera Festival
Old tooth of Buddha. Esala Perahera Festival

Who can use your old teeth? Perhaps the tooth fairy who buys these dubious values for shiny coins. But if you achieved enlightenment, like the Buddha Gautama, then your tooth would be valued not only by its weight in gold, but … in general, it would not have been worth it! Suffice it to say that in honor of the one and only tooth buddha a whole festival is held every year Esala Perahera on the island Sri Lanka.

Festival in honor of the old tooth of Buddha
Festival in honor of the old tooth of Buddha

Two and a half thousand years ago, the legs of the enlightened Buddha passed through the Earth, and almost nothing remained in the memory of those times. The only part of the Buddha's body that survived millennia is, as you already understood, his old tooth … It is kept in the city of Kandy, in the temple of Dalada Maligawa. The likelihood of seeing him with his own eyes for an ordinary person is no more than attaining nirvana. After all, even a chest with a precious tooth, the so-called karanduwa, is taken out of the temple only once a year. Yes, yes, this happens precisely on the day of Esala Perahera.

Elephants on Esala Perahera
Elephants on Esala Perahera
Old tooth of Buddha. Esala Perahera Festival
Old tooth of Buddha. Esala Perahera Festival

Actually, "Perahera" is translated as "procession", and "Esala" is the name of the month, which roughly corresponds to August. As you can see, there is not much left before the holiday of this year, and preparations for it began a long time ago, because the atmosphere of taking out the Sacred Tooth of Buddha is the most solemn. Firstly, in one city of Sri Lanka, in honor of such a deed, they gather not only all the priests, but also all the temple elephants of the country. About a hundred huge animals are decorated with bright carpets and blankets, and they are also hung with lanterns - on a few occasions you will see such elegant elephants.

Old tooth of Buddha. Esala Perahera Festival
Old tooth of Buddha. Esala Perahera Festival

Secondly, hundreds of torchbearers also participate in the show. However, it would be more correct to call them "firemen" - like the participants of the bright fire festival in Kiev, the fire-bearers deftly juggle and dance with flaming props. The procession is joined by musicians, ordinary dancers, and, of course, commoners who may be lucky enough to see a chest with old buddha tooth … If, of course, they squeeze into the first rows. And you can not go to any holiday, but simply achieve Enlightenment - and grope the sacred teeth in your own mouth with your tongue.

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