About Mani Rimdu Festival Trekking
Mani Rimdu Festival Trekking will add an amazing cultural dimension to a trek that is already a favorite for Himalayan scenery. At the time of the full moon in late October the Sherpas of the Khumbu Region celebrate the most exciting festival of the year. Since it falls at the end of harvest season, the Sherpas bring freshly harvested corn and grain from their fields to offer to the Monk community.
The exact date of the Mani Rimdu Festival is fixed annually, according to the Tibetan lunar calendar. This is a beautiful time to visit the Everest Region as the skies are clear and the views of the majestic mountains are at their best. We can inform you of this year's date after the Tibetan New Year, which falls in mid-February.
Mani Rimdu Festival is celebrated at Tengoche Monastery, a beautiful vantage point to look at Everest and Ama Dablam. Sherpa people from the far reaches of the Khumbu gather at Tengboche to celebrate and to get blessings from the Rinpoche. The naturally serene setting comes alive with color and noise for three days.
During the Mani Rimdu Festival the monks of Tengboche monastery celebrate the century's old conquest of Buddhism over the ancient animistic 'Bon' religion. The monks dress up in elaborately painted masks to perform lively dances known as "Cham", which re-enact the Buddhist victory over all the pagan gods that lived in the Himalaya. Through the dances, symbolic demons are subdued and conquered. Sherpas and travelers watching the dances are both entertained and reminded of the principles of Buddhism; the inner "demons" of hatred, greed and ignorance are overcome through meditation on compassion and wisdom.
In the ten days leading up to the celebration, the Tengboche monks chant prayers and perform many religious rituals. A beautiful and intricate sand mandala or sacred drawing is drawn on the floor with colored sand collected from high in the mountains. This mandala is used as a focus for the ten days meditation.
Ready to challenge yourself with an interesting climb of a 6000m peak? We organize exciting adventure climbs of Island Peak 6189m and Lobuche East Peak 6119m as an add on climb to any of the Everest region treks. We recommend our guests to do the Everest Base Camp Trek or Gokyo Valley and Everest Base Camp Trek or Khumbu Three High Passes Trek before attempting for either Island Peak or Lobuche East Peak.