Untitled - Life and Culture on the Tibetan Plateau

eautifully the bag ma is dressed. They judge her beauty
according to her hair <strong>and</strong> her ornaments. After the children
have invited all the village families, they gather at the girl's
home. Helpers offer them tea, steamed buns, steamed stuffed
dumplings, fried bread, <strong>and</strong> noodles.
At the same time, the sngags pa chants Lha mo bskang
ba 30 in the girl's home.
THE MORNING PARTY
Villagers Gather
At about seven on the morning of the day of the party, two
helpers go again to invite all the village households for ma
sru mgo 'dus while other helpers prepare food. When the sun
rises, guests come to the girl's home. Helpers offer tea, fried
bread, <strong>and</strong> steamed buns. The villagers cannot refuse, <strong>and</strong>
must enter the meal room <strong>and</strong> be served.
Village Females Sing the Hair Changing Songs, the Sngags
pa Chants, <strong>and</strong> Males Give Money to Females
There are two double rows in the ma sru mgo 'dus room. The
sngags pa sits in the head seat. Old men sit in the double row
of seating beside the sngags pa, <strong>and</strong> young men sit in the
other double rows. A piece of white felt is in front of the two
double rows on which a Buddhist swastika is made with
wheat seeds. All the ma sru (village females) sit squeezed
together at the felt edge. A girl born in the same zodiac year
as the bag ma is the bag rogs (bag ma's companion) <strong>and</strong> sits
in front of the bag ma during the hairdressing. The
hairdresser sits behind the girl. Female children who are
about the age of the bag ma age sit on both sides. Other
village females sit crowded around them.
The sngags pa chants Sde brgyad ljags bsngo, Bu mo
skra 'bebs, <strong>and</strong> Bkra shis g.yang 'bod while the women <strong>and</strong>
30 This common scripture praises a female protective deity,
Dpal ldan lha mo, in order to receive her protection.
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