Mustang Tiji Festival Trek prime focus is Tiji Festival which has a long history. Mustang Tiji Festival Trek is renowned among travelers around the globe. Thousands of trekkers hike to Lo Manthang to be the witness the ancient culture. Tiji is the major festival for the people of Upper Mustang citizens. Upper Mustang is the restricted kingdom of Nepal. You need to obtain a special permit to enter this territory. And also, you can’t hike around this ancient kingdom. You need to go through the registered trekking agency of Nepal.
The Mustang Tiji Festival Trek offers a unique experience in the primitive Tibetan village. Exposure to historic Buddhist culture and art is another reason to visit. The landscape is totally different from Kathmandu or Pokhara. The desert land is the unique identity of this Lo Mangthang.
Mustang Tiji Festival Trek
Trip Duration: 18 Days
Trek Grade: Moderate
Festival Date: May/June
Accommodation: Hotel & Tea House
Group Size: Min.2 pax up to 16
Max altitude: 4320 m
Travel Mode: Drive and Flights
Highlights of Mustang Tiji Festival Trek
- Magnificent view of Mt Dhaulagiri, Mt Annapurna
- Buddhist Shrine and Monasteries
- Buddhist art and Culture
- Restricted kingdom of an ancient village
- Trekking in the deserted land
History of Mustang Tiji Festival
The Tiji Festival is a three-day ritual about “The Hunt of the Demons” that focuses on the myth of Tiji. The myth tells of a deity named Dorje Jono who must fight his demon father to save the kingdom of Mustang from destruction. The Demon Father devastated Mustang by causing water shortage (a very valuable resource in this very dry land), which led to many disasters resulting from it, such as famine or the dying of livestock. Dorje Jono finally beats the demon and banishes him from this land.
Tiji is the celebration and affirmation of this myth and throughout the feast, the different scenes of the story are played. The festival is usually held in the dry winter and spring season, effectively a spring renewal festival. It is heralded the moister monsoon season, the growing season for Mustang.
Day one of Tiji Festival
The Tiji Festival is celebrated in Lo-Manthang for three days. On the first day, the horns of the lamas, who announce the two twelve-foot-tall copper dancers, sound with their elephantine outgrowths, followed by two double-rowed horns, all accompanied by drum and pelvis. Then an ancient and mighty Thanka, a scroll painting with Buddhist motifs, three stories high, is rolled up over the whole southern wall of the square.
Rituals going on in Mustang Tiji Festival Trek in the late afternoon. Eleven lamas in maroon and gold robes and high red hats come out of the palace and take their seats on the wall below the Thankas. A taller Lama takes his place on the elevated seat in the middle. Then the masked dancers begin to portray the Tiji myth, Dorje Jono rejects the demon through the power of his magic dance. As the end of the dance, Dorje Jono kills the demon, whereupon his people are freed from their plague of misfortune. Water will flow abundantly again, and the balance and harmony of life will be restored.
Second Day of Tiji Festival
Numerous Lobas, locals who speak the Tibetan dialect, come from the surrounding hamlets, and the little square is filled with decorated, beautiful people. Women and children in traditional clothes. The King of Mustang wears a crown of tiny river pearls interspersed with dozens of large red coral shades with matching turquoise ornaments. Let yourself be impressed by the costumes and masks, the twelve-foot longhorns, the golden cups, the butter cake, the snow peaks, wind, dust and sun, snow leopard, snow pigeons, fossil stones (saligrams), the dying glaciers, and the desert area of yaks and tantra.
Concluding Day of Tiji Festival
The Tiji festival ends with the ceremonial destruction of the evil remains. Represented by a long black yak hair and a red torma cake. A ritual offering of butter and flour, which are chopped into dark red fur. The red remains of the demons are placed on an old tiger skin and attacked with bows and arrows, slings, and other old guns. The remains of the poor devils are turned to the ground, each time generating a wave of gunfire, applause, and incense. This is how the Tiji festival is celebrated.
<p>Upon your arrival at Kathmandu International Airport, our representative will receive you from the airport and transfer to the Hotel. We will sit together for the trek preparation where we will introduce our guide and porters. We need to issue the special permit for Mustang Tiji Festival Trek so we will collect all the necessary documents and process it. If you need any trekking gear then our guides can help you to buy it in the town. Overnight in the Hotel.</p>
