Friday, May 28, 2010

Ancient Rites for a peaceful New Year in Cambodia

Once upon a time, when legends were still young and magic walked the earth, there was a very powerful God named Kapila who lived in the paradise of Brahma. One day, he decided that he would like to set a test for his disciple the Bodhisattva Thomobal (formerly an incarnation of the Buddha), and asked him to solve three parbols. If he couldn't find the answer before seven days and seven nights, Thomobal would be decapitated. If he could solve them, then it would be Kapila's head that would be on the block. On the sixth day Thomobal, in a state of great agitation, not yet having discovered the answers to the three parabols, happened to see two eagles talking about the enigmas. Hidden from their view, he was able to eavesdrop on the eagles' conversation and so discovered the answers to his quest.
He immediately returned to Kapila and told him his news. On hearing this, Kanila, being a worthy and honourable God, wasted no time in arranging his own decapitation, as agreed. But if the decapitated head were to touch the ground, then the whole of the earth would start to burn uncontrolably, thrown into the air it would stop forever the rain, sunk in the ocean it would make the waters evaporate.
So Kapila called his seven daughters and advised them to take great care when receiving his head on a platter. After having told them this, he cut off his own head and gave it to his eldest daughter Tungsa.
Since then, each daughter on the last day of each lunar year has, one by one, carried the head before them on a golden platter, while walking around Mount Meru, imitating the course of the sun. Mount Meru is the mythical five peaked summit that contains the city of Brahma, home of the Gods. One sister trades places with the another on the New Year.
The daughter is escorted by a prosession of all the "Devodas", who are the Gods and Goddesses of the sky (100,000 time million in number) all of them splendidly dressed and perfumed.

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