Outdoor Amusements.
There are various methods of feasting in Tibet, but the one which
appeals most strongly to the fancy of the people and is, I think, the
most refined, is the _Lingka_. This is a sort of garden party held in
woody places situated in the outskirts of the city of Lhasa.
The Tibetans seldom behave respectably and with courtesy when they
meet in a social reunion; too frequently on such occasions disputes
or even quarrels are liable to occur. But in a Lingka party all those
who participate in it behave with decorum, and even people who are
generally regarded as quarrelsome characters appear genteel and affable
in deference to the best tradition of the country. A Lingka carried out
by a party of warrior-priests is sufficiently animated, but very seldom
do they mar the occasion with unseemly quarrels.
The places where this refined amusement is held are, as before
mentioned, situated very close to the city, and are found in all
directions except the south, where flows a river. In the remainder of
the circuit woods and groves are scattered here and there, and also
patches of velvety lawns. Some of the groves are enclosed and are
attached to the private villas of wealthy people, but there are plenty
of groves and lawns which are left open to the public.
These lawns and groves present a charming appearance in spring, and
the people of Lhasa, after having been chained to the town through the
desolate and dreary scenes of winter, feel themselves inspired with a
new life when they meet again on turf which is resuming its vigor and
putting on a new coat of velvet. There are peach-trees with their buds
about to burst open, while by the streams may be seen willow-trees
with their elegant pendant twigs covered with fresh green leaves.
The whole city of Lhasa finds its heart beating with a new life, as it
were, in agreeable harmony with the fascinating surroundings of nature.
The season of pure and innocent amusements has arrived, and the people,
urged on by the natural cravings of their hearts, sally forth to the
fields in small parties or large, and enjoy themselves with picnics.
The picnic outfit comprises baked flour, fried vegetables or meats,
cheese, raisins, dried peaches, dried animal flesh, sacks of liquor
and tea-sets. There are two kinds of native liquors, one being made of
barley or wheat and the other of rice. Of the two the former is used
to a greater extent than the latter. The barley liquor is brewed in a
very simple way. A certain quantity of barley, generally at the rate of
one _sho_ of the grain to five _sho_ of the liquor, is roasted, then
left to cool, and while it is being cooled a quantity of malt is added,
and the mixture is put in a jug and kept in a warm place. In three
days the mixture is converted into yeast, and to it water is added and
thoroughly stirred. The liquor is then ready, and it is ladled out as
occasion requires, or the whole watery portion is strained and put in
another vessel. In brewing a superior kind of the liquor, only about
two _sho_ of water is added to one _sho_ of the grain and the strained
liquid is left to ripen for some weeks. This superior liquor is used
only by wealthy people.
The ordinary barley liquor is very weak and does not intoxicate unless
a large quantity is drunk. The climate too being comparatively cool and
the atmosphere very dry, the fumes of the liquor soon disappear even
when a man has imbibed a large quantity.
So, prepared with all those provisions, the parties spread their mats
on the turf, and enjoy themselves to their hearts’ contents from nine
in the morning to six in the afternoon.
[Illustration: A PICNIC PARTY IN SUMMER.]
Let us suppose that a carpet is laid on the velvety lawn in a wood,
and that there are liquors and delicacies to which the party will
help themselves. There will also be singing and dancing. Dancing is
generally accompanied by vocal music, and it occupies in the eyes of
Tibetan people a very important place on the programme of a public
function of this kind. Everybody appears to think that there is nothing
more enjoyable in life than the art of cadenced steps and graceful
postures. Even the country people who from lack of opportunities cannot
learn the art, appreciate and enjoy it just as well as the inhabitants
of cities. Strangers like myself do not see any great merit in the
Tibetan dancing, but to their eyes it is certainly amusing. In short,
the picnic is a source of most refined relaxation to the Tibetans, for
on such occasions they sing and dance, they drink the best of liquors
and eat the best of delicacies, their enjoyment very much enhanced by
the exquisite environment. Here flows a limpid current drawn from
the river Kichu and on its banks are gambolling and running children
and adults. There stand majestic snow-capped peaks with their slopes
covered with verdant forests. Lhasa indeed seems to justify at such
time its classic name of the ‘Ground of Deities’.
The above description applies to a picnic given by people of the higher
classes, but their inferiors also have picnics of their own.
The picnics got up by people of the lower classes are of course
less refined, and the amusements include the drinking of liquors,
gambolling, and maybe wrestling. Tibetan wrestling possesses a
peculiarity of its own, quite distinct from that prevailing in Japan.
The wrestlers generally keep apart from their antagonists and do not
tug and close in as do their _confrères_ of Japan. Very seldom does
a Tibetan wrestler aim at throwing down his antagonist, the contest
consisting in the use of the arms. The picnickers also amuse themselves
with competitions of stone-flinging, which is a favorite game of the
warrior priests, and sometimes they try a foot-race. Dancing is a
favorite item of amusement in the picnics of the vulgar folks also,
and it does not differ much in form from that of people of the higher
circles, though it somewhat lacks elegance and at times it even strikes
one as scandalous. Still, one beautiful point about the picnics even
of the lower people is that very seldom does a quarrel or any such
unseemly incident mar the sweet pleasure of the occasion, and it is
evident that the _changsa_ of the lingka exerts upon them a high moral
influence and indirectly leads them to good. Whether for people of the
higher circles or for their inferiors, among the changsas the lingka
is the purest and most refined of their amusements and is the one most
conducive to fraternal feeling and good fellowship.