Mongolian Tsam dance - a religious mysterium in masks

Shrouded in mystery and completely exotic to us, Mongolia manages to surprise us in a variety of ways. A country today five times larger in area than Poland, remaining on the sidelines of world events, it has had both periods of splendor and decline in its long history. During the reign of the legendary Genghis Khan, the Mongolian empire reached all the way to Europe. After several centuries, Mongolia came under Chinese rule, and only proclaimed independence in 1924.

All historical turmoil has been survived by Mongolian traditions handed down from generation to generation - numerous musical instruments headed by the morin chuur fiddle, dance and centuries-old songs.

Tsam dance

Many traditional Mongolian dances were lost with the spread of Buddhism, but some have survived to our time. These include ceremonial dances, such as the Tsam. This dance performance was originally practiced by monks to propitiate threatening deities.

The origin of Tsam has to be traced back to the 13th century in Tibet. In Tibetan, the word "tsam" means as much as "dance." Characteristic of Tsam are colorful and imaginative masks, which are destroyed after a symbolic battle. Then an old sage - the embodiment of the Earth god - enters the stage.

The pantomime mystery is classified as a solemn Buddhist religious ritual. Such rituals have an infinitely long tradition in Tibet. Originally, performances were assigned to specific dates or feast days. Among other things, they were held during the Butter Festival and numerous memorial holidays.

In Mongolia, Tsam dance has a long tradition and plays an important role. Above all, in cultural and religious circles associated with Hinduism and Buddhism, Tsam has gained an important position.

The centers of this cultural and spiritual tradition were monasteries, where there was a high development of Buddhist art. The persecution of Buddhism by the Communist authorities in the 1930s interrupted this centuries-old tradition, which was only restored in 2002.

Varieties of Mongolian Tsam

There are several parallel Mongolian Tsam:

• Milaraspa - Tsam

  This dance was named after the Tibetan hermit Mila. At its root are legends from the life of the famous poet and eremite of the "red church." Tsam includes dialogues, which can also be found in handwritten scripts. The most famous such manuscript is titled "Dance of the Lightning Protector."

• Geser - Tsam

  The god of war Geser was considered the patron saint of the Manchurian imperial family and warriors. He was a guarantor of success in hunting and a slayer of enemies and demons. He was also called the "Son of Heaven."

• Erlik - Tsam

  This is the "Dance of the Iron Palace." The main figure in this Tsam is Erlik Nomun Chan, the lawgiver king, also called Tshoijoo (god of death).

Musical instruments of the Tsam

In addition to masks and endless stories, music also plays an important role in Tsam. In a traditional Tsam performance, musicians are lined up in two ranks one behind the other. With those playing drums and cymbals sitting in the first row. Behind them are the wind instruments, which set the tone, and the sagats - small brass cymbals called "tsam" in Mongolian. Important to the overall sound are cymbals (czynele) made of bronze.

Masks and costumes

A peculiarity of Tsam dance are supernaturally sized masks of deities, applied over the head and covering the entire face. If people are to be portrayed, the masks are of normal size. These props are made either of papier-mâché or thin, cogged copper sheet. Depending on the region, masks are also sometimes made of wood or leather.

Among the central figures is the White Old Man, symbolizing the ancestor of the family, protector of the fire and giver of the harvest. He is prevalent in various regions of Asia as the god of the harvest and symbol of long life.

The costumes are very colorful and decorated with numerous ornaments. Each costume assigned to a mask is made by Mongolians from expensive and valuable material. Usually satin and silk come into play, sometimes wool and cotton.

Whoever has the opportunity to attend such a performance should definitely take advantage of this opportunity. Tsam introduces the audience to a foreign and at the same time enchanted world - a performance one does not forget.