The Regional Tibetan Women’s Association of New York and New Jersey (“RTWA NY & NJ”) organized a special Lhapsol ceremony on Sunday, April 22, 2007 in Walden, New York, at the Sakya Tsechen Kunchap Ling. The crowd arrived at the gonpa in 12 buses arranged by RTWA, as well as in 225 private cars. By the morning’s ceremony, about sixteen hundred Tibetans had gathered together in this suburb town of New York.
Sun shined through out the day after couple of weeks of rain in New York, including the heaviest ever recorded on April 15, 2007. As people started to arrive, they were led to the gonpa’s prayer hall, where the Morning Prayer service was held, including the long-life prayer for His Holiness to provide all protection in His year of great obstacle, goong-kak. The room was filled with not just Tibetans from the New York/New Jersey area, but from neighboring states. A line was formed to offer khatag, ceremonial silk scarves to the portrait of His Holiness. Tibetan butter tea and dreysil, sweetened rice with raisins, were offered to the attendees. As the prayers concluded, the crowd was directed outside for the sangsol, a prayer to the gods and goddesses asking for peace, prosperity and success. Participants formed a circle and shouted in unison, “Kyi-kyi so so Lha-gyalo”, -victory to the gods and goddesses – with tsampa (ground barley). Prayer Flags surrounded the gonpa premises, the sight which amazed and soothed many. Over announcement by The Tibetan Community of New York and New Jersey (TC), the lhapsol-goers formed several long lines to make contributions for the great prayer ceremony Tenshug, to be offered to the His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The members from the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress assisted the TC members while collecting the donations.
Afternoon event was enjoyed with potluck lunches, Tibetan Cultural Program, and bashey and gorshey, Tibetan circle dances. The Cultural program consisted of performances by many talented Tibetan children, along with the famous Ms. Pasang Dolma. Reacting to the blissful crowd, Ms. Dolma said “This is just such a wonderful event; I don’t feel like I am in the West. It feels like we are all at Budh Gaya, India.” While some felt like they were back at Boudha in Nepal, others felt like it was equivalent to a Fourth of July (US Independence Day) celebration. Either way people truly enjoyed the festive Lhapsol; the environment, activities, cultural show and the pleasant weather was an added incentive. A young girl who attends high school in Queens said, “ Today I learnt the exact meaning of five colors in our prayer flags.” An elderly man then taught her the proper way in which these five different colors are stitched.
As the drum started to beat, not only the elder Tibetans, but the younger ones followed to the tune ready to gorshey. People were enjoying each other’s conversations, on-going eating fest, exploring the gonpa’s sereneneighborhood as it is truly different from New York City’s milieu. Tibetan, Hindi, and Nepali songs were sung on their way to-and-from the gonpa, and Antakshiri, debatable songs were a hit on the buses. One lady on the way back to New York City remarked out of her exhilaration, “I don’t even remember seeing this bridge this morning; I was so excited singing and thinking about Lhapsol, that I missed the pretty sights along the way.” The activities and glee were at its peak from the beginning till the end of the day.
