Bhumchu Festival

Bhumchu (bhum is pot and chu is water) festival is held in the Tashiding Monastery located in the Indian state of Sikkim. According to the Tibetan lunar calendar (“lo-tho”) this festival is organized in on the 14th and 15th day of the first month (sometime between February and March).

Tashiding Monastery

During Bhumchu (Bum-Chu) monks predict the future. They open a pot (“thumba”) and check the level of holy water. If the pot is filled to the brim a bad, bloody period can be expected. If there is no water inside the pot people will suffer from famine. A good, prosperous year is ahead only if the thumba is half-filled. After this ritual some of the water is shared among numerous pilgrims attending the festival. The pot is then filled with water from nearby river, sealed and kept safe in the monastery until the next year.