Mani Rimdu at Tengboche: A Sherpa Festival Beneath Everest

Tengboche Monastery stands on a forested ridge at about 3,860 metres, three days' walk above Lukla, with Ama Dablam, Lhotse and the summit of Everest behind it. Thousands of trekkers pass through every autumn. Those who arrive on the right days find the courtyard filled with Sherpa families, the air thick with juniper smoke, and monks in elaborate masks performing the most important festival of the Khumbu region.

What Mani Rimdu is

Mani Rimdu is a sequence of ceremonies lasting nineteen days, most of which take place privately inside the monastery. It celebrates the establishment of Buddhism in the Himalaya by the master Padmasambhava and the subduing of the older spirits of the land. The name combines mani, referring to the chanting of a sacred mantra, with rimdu, the small red pills that are blessed during the rituals and distributed to the people.

Over the preceding weeks, the monks create an intricate mandala of coloured sand and recite prayers day and night. The public portion comes at the end and lasts three days.

The three public days

Day one: the blessing. On the day of the full moon, the head lama of the monastery gives a public empowerment. Villagers from across the Khumbu, dressed in their finest, queue to receive his blessing, the sacred pills and a sip of consecrated liquid. Visitors may join the line.

Day two: the dances. This is the day most people come for. In the monastery courtyard, to the sound of long horns, cymbals and drums, monks perform a series of sixteen masked dances. They wear heavy brocade robes and large painted masks representing protective deities, and their slow, deliberate steps symbolise the victory of Buddhism over harmful forces.

Between the solemn dances come comic interludes. Clownish characters, one of them an old man, stumble about, tease the audience and mock pompous behaviour, to loud laughter. The Sherpa crowd picnics, gossips and treats the day as the social event of the year.

Day three: the fire ritual. In the morning, the monks conduct a fire ceremony in the courtyard to consume all remaining negativity. Offerings are burned, and the sand mandala inside the temple is swept away, a reminder that nothing lasts. The sand is later carried to a stream.

When it takes place

At Tengboche, the festival is held in the ninth month of the Tibetan calendar, with the blessing day on the full moon. This usually falls in late October or November. The dates are fixed by the monastery each year and published well in advance.

Mani Rimdu is also performed at two other monasteries in the region: at Thame, west of Namche Bazaar, in spring, usually May; and at Chiwong, in the lower Solu area, in late autumn. Both are much less visited by foreigners.

Fitting it into a trek

Tengboche lies directly on the route to Everest Base Camp, two days' walk from Namche Bazaar. To attend:

1. Find the confirmed dates before booking flights.

2. Plan to reach Tengboche the day before the dances and spend two nights in the area.

3. Count backwards: allow one day for the flight to Lukla, two days to Namche, an acclimatisation day there, and one day to Tengboche.

4. Continue to base camp or Gokyo afterwards, or return.

A shorter trip to Tengboche and back for the festival alone takes about eight to nine days from Kathmandu.

Where to sleep

Tengboche has only a handful of lodges, and during the festival they are booked out months ahead by trekking groups. If you cannot get a room, stay at Deboche, twenty minutes' walk downhill through the forest on the far side, or at Phunki Tenga by the river below, and walk up early. Namche Bazaar is too far for a comfortable day trip.

Practical points

• Altitude. At nearly 3,900 metres, you should have spent at least two nights at Namche first.

• Cold. The courtyard is in shade for much of the day. Wear a down jacket, hat and gloves, and bring something to sit on.

• Crowds. Arrive early on dance day. Balconies around the courtyard are reserved for locals and monastery guests; visitors usually sit or stand along the edges.

• Tickets. A fee or donation is asked of foreign spectators.

• Flights. Autumn is peak season for Lukla. Reserve early and allow spare days.

The reward

Many trekkers remember Mani Rimdu more vividly than base camp. The combination is hard to match: a monastery on a ridge among some of the highest mountains on earth, masked figures turning slowly in the thin sunlight, and a whole people gathered to laugh, pray and receive a blessing before winter closes in.