The lhamo is a Tibetan musical and choreographed secular performance, analogous to the western conception of the opera. It was first developed in the 14th century by a mystic and architect, Drupthok Thangthong Gyalpo, for the purpose of raising funds for the construction of a bridge of better facilitate pilgrimage. The actual performance can tell secular moral parables, as well as more religious Buddhist religious fables and narratives.
Tibetan Opera and Tea
The highlight of Lhamo is its mask. Usually on the forehead of the mask there is a motif of the Sun and Moon. From the mask, the role of the player can be identified. A red mask refers to the King; a green the queen; a yellow lamas and deities, etc. A Tibetan opera performance follows fixed procedures. Each performance begins with the purification of the stage and a blessing to the God. A narrator sings a summary of the story in verse. Then performers enter and start dancing and singing. The performance ends with a ritual of blessing.
The lhamo was also one of the first musical styles to have been adopted and promoted by the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts’s opera program, and continues to be performed today. The following video depicts a performance of the Tibetan lhamo during the Losar festival, in Bhandara, India.
Citations:
“Tibetan Opera and Tea.” Table Manners in China, Etiquettes and Taboos When Dining, 1998, http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/tibet/tibetan-opera.htm.
Stearns, Cyrus. King of the Empty Plain: the Tibetan Iron-Bridge Builder Tangtong Gyalpo. Snow Lion Publications, 2007.
Tibetan Music 