Shey Festival, Nepal

Shey festival, 2012. it is held every twelve years in the year of the dragon
Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche with his entourage and yaks
Buddhist monks of the Gelug school wearing the yellow Vinaya hats
People circumambulate the Shey Gonpa compound
Women bow in Shey Gonpa during a ceremony
Children playing
Dance practice
A Dolpo woman wears a tikpo
A bullseye in the archery competition
A check of his arrow’s trueness
Archery competition
Playing the lute-like tungna or dra-nyen
Tibetan style dance
Novice Buddhist monks watch the cultural events
Young women and youths perform a dance
Women in the audience wearing thier finest for the festival
A traditional Dolpo circle dance
Breaking with traditional dance
A Buddhist monk as a malevolent deity in a mask dance
A dancer using a damaru or daru drum
A religious bak-cham (mask dance)
The Sha-nak (black hat) dancer
Horseman wearing a fox fur hat
Horserace through the camp
A rider scoops paper money off the ground at a gallop
Shey Gonpa and tents under moonlight
Impromptu community circle dancing under moonlight
Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche blesses every person
Monks playing gyalings
Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche returns to Shey Gonpa after blessing the people
Two women receive a blessing from Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche
An early morning start leaving Shey after the 2012 festival has ended. The next will be in 2024