The Legend of the Tibetan Sacred Cow

 

The Legend of the Tibetan Sacred Cow

 

The wise man Agudengba and the caravan leader Lacuo looked at the snow-capped mountains in the distance. There were several yaks walking on the snow-capped mountains.

Agudengba said to Lacuo:

Many people don't like winter very much, because most people have poor cold resistance and are very afraid of the cold. But there are animals in the world that are more resistant to cold. The animals that we are familiar with that have strong cold resistance are probably polar bears and penguins, because these two animals live in the extremely cold Arctic and Antarctic. But there is another animal in China that is more cold-resistant than polar bears. This animal is the yak. Yak is mainly distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In the hearts of Tibetan people, yak is a "sacred cow".

It can be said that the whole body of the yak is a treasure. The Tibetan people cannot live without it for food, clothing, housing, transportation, and farming. People can drink yak milk, eat yak meat, and even cow dung can be used to make fires. Yak hair can be used to make clothes or tents, which can withstand severe cold, and its skin is a good material for tanning.

In plateau areas, yaks can also be used for farming and as means of transportation on the plateau. In plateau areas, yaks are indispensable "livestock" and people cherish them very much. It is said that there are nearly 16 million yaks in the world, of which China has more than 15 million, making it the country with the largest number and variety of yaks in the world.

Lacuo said:

This yak is full of treasures, but it is easily frightened, rough and wild, so be careful when coming into contact with it.

Agudemba said:

You're right. A bullfighting competition is held in Bailang, Bailang County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet. This is an annual bullfighting festival and traditional national sports event. I once attended a bullfighting festival.

It was on the Jiangxiong Grassland in Zhexiaxiang, Bailang County, Shigatse Region, at an altitude of more than 4,500 meters. The strong breeding yaks were draped in silk and satin. Amid the cheers and blessings of the audience, the participating yaks held a traditional entrance ceremony in turn, and then The competition is conducted in a single elimination format. Some of these battles determine the outcome in an instant, while others last for more than 20 minutes. The final winner becomes the "Yak Supreme" on Jiangxiong Grassland this year.

Tibet is the hometown of the yak, and many pastoral areas hold yak racing events every year. This organized bullfighting in Bailang County is unique and is the highlight of the Bailang Bullfighting Festival.

It is said that the Bailang Bullfighting Festival appeared during the reign of Songtsen Gampo in Tubo. At first, it only held the "counting sheep heads" activity of shepherds comparing their wealth. Later, as time went by, the scale of the activities became larger and larger, and the content became more and more rich. , gradually formed today's traditional national sports festival mainly featuring yak fighting.

The strongest and roughest breeding cow in each herd is the "seed player" who charges into battle, and a dozen other cows and calves are responsible for "emboldening and cheering" the breeding cow. The competition adopts a single-elimination system, with 8 cattle herds divided into 4 groups, and the winning 4 breeding cattle are drawn by lots for the semi-finals and finals.

In the semi-finals, two breeding cattle were preparing to go to the "battlefield", covered in brocade silk and satin, panting heavily surrounded by cows and calves, with a heroic spirit. The host and helpers were not relaxed either. Their necks were hung with auspicious hadas, and while they sprinkled tsampa, they made "ho ho" sounds to drive them away.

After a while, the two bulls suddenly rushed towards each other, with their four horns pressed together, and their eyes widened with anger. Amid the cheers of the audience, the winner of the game was indistinguishable, and the battlefield was rising. The dust moved from one end to the other, forcing the audience to scream and retreat.

After a few minutes, one of the bulls finally couldn't bear it anymore and ran away. The crowd burst into cheers, and the owner of the other bull jumped with joy.

Breeding yaks usually fight for dominance in the herd. The loser often never recovers from the fall, and the winner becomes the "Yak Supreme" of that year. When the bullfighting competition was the largest, there were more than 30 participating bulls, and the most intense fight lasted for nearly an hour between two bulls.

Agudengba said to Lacuo:

Bailang Bullfighting Festival also holds traditional national sports such as "Wuerduo" target shooting and sandbag holding from time to time.

In addition to the yak racing activities that are popular throughout Tibetan areas, in the Huarui area, there are also cultural and entertainment activities based on the white yak, a rare breed in the world, such as hymns and dances. According to historical records, the origin time of the White Yak Dance is said to be in Tubo or in the 17th century AD. The White Yak Dance can be performed by 4 people, 6 people, or 10 people at most.

The White Yak Dance is actually a reflection of the ancient traditional culture of the Tibetan people. It shows the spiritual realm of the Tibetan people's harmonious coexistence with nature. In their minds, the white yak is considered a constellation in Tibetan myths and legends. White can purify the soul and bring happiness. Therefore, the aura of God and the spirit of the snow-capped mountains were fused together and attached to the white yak, thus forming a unique white yak culture.

The primitive yak existed in the Pleistocene more than three million years ago and was widely distributed in northeastern Eurasia.

The yak is one of the unique and rare cattle species centered on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China and adjacent to the alpine and sub-alpine alpine areas. The yak is called Yak in Tibetan, and is commonly known as "yak" in the world, which is the Tibetan transliteration. The yak's sound is like the sound of a pig, so it is also called a pig sounding like a cow. In Western countries, it is also called Tibetan cattle because it is mainly produced in the Tibetan areas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. The yak's tail is like a horse's tail, so it is also called horse-tailed ox.

From ancient times to the present, the Tibetan people's totem worship of the yak has continued to develop and evolve, but it has never died out. It has become a sustenance for the Tibetan cultural spirit.

According to Tibetan historical documents: Nie Tri Zanpu, the son of the God of Heaven, descended from the sky and became the ruler of the Yak Tribe of Tubo. In the history of Tibetans, there have been customs such as enshrining bull-headed statues and enshrining bull heads on walls and roofs. To this day, yak skulls can be seen everywhere in Tibetan areas, including houses, wall corners, mountain passes, bridges, mani stone piles and temple altars.

Tibetans believe that the cow head is the host of the cow's soul, a symbol of the entire yak spirit, and a sign of the dignity and power of the god. Various yak patterns can also be seen in Tibetan religious art and folk crafts, and bull head masks are worn to perform sacred cow dances during religious sacrifices and ritual activities, etc., which all prove that the historical customs of yak totem worship are deeply rooted in the cultural life of the Tibetan people. . The yak totem is the soul of Tibetan culture.

Agudengba looked at the snowy yaks in the distance and sang a snowy song "Snowy Sacred Cow":

 

Yake, Yake, Yake,

Yak, Yak, Yak,

The yak is the snowy sacred cow of our plateau.

 

Nie Chi Zanpu, the son of the god, descended from the sky,

What he does is to be the yak master of Tubo.

From now on we worship the image of a bull-headed man,

Yak skulls are enshrined on the walls and roofs.

 

Yaks take advantage of alpine grassland forage resources.

It has strong adaptability to the ecological environment,

Yak is resistant to cold and hard work in the face of thin air.

Live calmly and comfortably in harsh conditions.

 

We believe that the cow head is the host of the soul,

This is also a symbol of the entire yak spirit,

It is also a sign of the dignity and power of the gods.

The yak totem is the soul of Tibetan culture.

 

Yake, Yake, Yake,

Yak, Yak, Yak,

The yak is the snowy sacred cow of our plateau.