Guthuk

Guthuk (Tibetan: དགུ་ཐུག་, English: "nice stew")[1] is a noodle soup in Tibetan cuisine.[2] It is eaten two days before Losar, the Tibetan New Year[lower-alpha 1][2] and is a variation on Thukpa bhatuk. The Tibetan religious ceremony 'Gutor' (དགུ་གཏོར་), literally meaning offering of the 29th, is held on the 29th of the 12th Tibetan month, and is focused on driving out all negativity, including evil spirits and misfortunes of the past year, and starting the new year in a peaceful and auspicious way.[2] It is made with barley and other ingredients.

Guthuk
Various dumplings for guthuk that serve as symbols

Banishing Evil Spirits day

The temples and monasteries throughout Tibet hold grand religious dance ceremonies, with the largest at Potala Palace in Lhasa. Families clean their houses on this day, decorate the rooms and eat Guthuk. In the evening, the people carry torches, calling out the words of exorcism.[4]

On that day the monasteries do a protector deities' puja (a special kind of ritual) and begin preparations for the Losar celebrations. The custom that day is to make guthuk of nine different ingredients including dried cheese and various grains. Also, dough balls are given out with various ingredients hidden in them such as chilies, salt, wool, rice and coal. The ingredients one finds hidden in one's dough ball are supposed to be a lighthearted comment on one's character. If a person finds chilies in their dough, it means they are talkative. If white-colored ingredients like salt, wool or rice are inside the dough it is considered a good sign. If a person finds coal in the dough it has much the same meaning as finding coal in one's Christmas stocking; it means you have a "black heart".

See also

Notes
  1. "Guthuk is a special dish prepared for the Losar celebration. In it are dumplings that contain omens: a pebble symbolizes a long, healthy life; cayenne pepper suggests that the individual has a temperamental personality; a piece of charcoal ..."[3]

References
  1. 李松 (March 17, 2017). "Year of the Firebird gets traditional welcome[1]- Chinadaily.com.cn". Chinadaily US Edition. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  2. Yuan, H.; Kunga, A.; Li, B. (2014). Tibetan Folktales. World Folklore Series. ABC-CLIO. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-61069-471-1.
  3. Thompson, S.E. (2000). Holiday Symbols. Holiday Symbols & Customs. Omnigraphics. p. 321. ISBN 978-0-7808-0423-4.
  4. "Exorcising-Ghost Day". Tibet Travel. Archived from the original on 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2010-03-12.

Further reading
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