Dharamshala- The Tibetan community gathered on Wednesday (July 6th) to attend the cultural event ‘The Tibet Games' was held yesterday in the TCV day school, Dharamshala, to a successful and remarkable turnout.
In an event which gathered hundreds from the local community, and coinciding with the Dalai Lamas 76th birthday, Tibetan culture was truly celebrated in style yesterday as Tibetans of all ages participated in the colorful event.
Amid a mixture of archery competitions, traditional Tibetan singing and dancing, and event a rock-carrying race, the crowd of hundreds-strong cheered and celebrated the traditional cultural games.
To add to the cultural celebration, most of the community were dressed in their Traditional - Tibetan attire. Participants and audience members could be seen wearing colorful silk ‘chupas' and ‘wojuks', adding to the beauty of the celebration of Tibet's rich history.
Roars of laughter could be heard from the crowd during the archery competition, when practically every participant missed the target at close range; with good humor.
The event was coordinated by Dolka of ‘Tibet I Care'. She maintains that it is a movement, a reason why ‘Tibet i-care' does not ask for money, and maintains a strong sense of cultural identity and independence that sets it apart from many other local movements. The organization is:
"a grassroots movement which would become a spiritual and cultural movement among young Tibetans which would help them understand their identity, and learn how to be modern, at the same time respect traditional values. This could soon become a trend among young brigands to be responsible not only as a Tibetan refugee struggling for freedom, but also help spread universal values like love and care for all"
The Tibet games also promoted ‘Lhakar', which is ‘white Wednesday'; a cultural movement in Tibet encouraging Tibetan identity.
Lhakar involves celebrating and maintaining Tibetan identity by wearing Tibetan clothes, eating typically Tibetan food, and maintaining a sense of Tibetan identity. A pledge was made by a large portion of the audience to conduct and celebrate ‘white Wednesday', a huge benefit for a community that is growing culturally diverse.
The event also seemed a perfect way for many in the audience to celebrate his Holiness the Dalai Lamas 76th birthday; who is currently in Washington.
Tiibet I Care state that: "this movement is all about giving your best as an individual, to Tibet and to the world"; thee young group certainly proved themselves true on the buoyant event on Wednesday.
