Spring finally came to Kargyak...

snow is disappearing from sheer slopes and birds are singing around us. Soon it will be two months when we have returned from festival in Buddhist Monastery in Phuktal. Many long days we were looking for sun without success in those times.

But lot of evenings we have spent with villagers at burning fire by praying, reading sacred texts and tasting local delicacies. Invitations came every day and sometimes we didn´t feel like strangers but somehow we merged with local life. But we didn´t let school to hibernate. Kids flocked unstoppable into the school every morning, perhaps reason was not only relatively warm environment. This fact we verified thoroughly at the end of February and the beginning of March when students passed big tests from all subjects. Finally everything came off successfully, despite of the fact that some students passed through with troubles. As a reward for success big party followed: threading of the beads (present from Czech sponsor), plays, making pancakes, seeing favorite movie and overnight at school. Such parties are very favorite here and kids are organizing them at home too. First of all to have something to eat, they are visiting house by house and go carol-singing “Shakutu makutu”. They organize a party from gifts in the evening and enjoy it together. All winter celebrations and festivities, praying and enjoyments culminated in the beginning of April by Archery Festival. All villagers have prepared immense amount of chang (local alcoholic beverage made from fermented barley), together they rejoiced at it several days and in that time all sang songs played drums, danced and men moreover were contested in archery. In closest village added horse races to the festival. All are greeting long awaited spring.  

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