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Lama dancing

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Lama dancing (Tib., lha.'cham, ‘sacred dance’). Tibetan Buddhist mystery play. A drama of great colour, costume, masks, and music, enacted predominantly by lamas as a form of mime, in which every bodily movement carries a precise symbolic meaning. Such dances are normally performed at festivals, particularly those of the new year (losar) such as the Great Prayer held around the jokhang, when they can double as exorcism ceremonies, banishing evil from the community in order to begin the new year auspiciously.

Lama dancing should not be confused with a popular form of dance called A che lha mo (‘elder sister-goddess’) which is performed by travelling theatrical troupes and where the subject-matter is more profane.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Lama dancing." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Lama dancing." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Lamadancing.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Lama dancing." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Lamadancing.html

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lama dancing

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | | Copyright

lama dancing (Tib., 'chams). Tibetan Buddhist religious dance, performed to ritual music by masked dancers enacting various religious dramas depicting subjects such as the subjugation of demons.

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DAMIEN KEOWN. "lama dancing." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAMIEN KEOWN. "lama dancing." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-lamadancing.html

DAMIEN KEOWN. "lama dancing." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-lamadancing.html

Learn more about citation styles

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