China Popular Itineraries |
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The fluttering prayer flags can often be found on rooftops, at mountain passes and across rivers along with piles of mani stones, and other places they consider sacred. Prayer flags are actually colorful cotton cloth squares, with images, mantras and prayers printed on with printing woodblocks. Usually at the center of a prayer flag, there is a Wind Horse which bears the Three Jewels of Buddhism. On the four corners of the flag, images of four sacred animals are printed, which are Garuda, Dragon, Tiger and Snow Lion, representing four virtues, wisdom, power, confidence and fearless joy respectively.
Sometimes auspicious Buddhist symbols can be found on the edges. In the blank between the images, prayers and mantras are printed. There are two kinds of prayer flags, the horizontal ones called Lungta in Tibetan and the vertical ones called Darchor. The horizontal prayer flags
are serial printed cotton clothes and connected at the top edges with a long thread. The vertical ones, less used, are usually single pieces or serial blocks sewn on poles, planted on the ground or on rooftop. Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown heavenward as offerings to their deities and will also bring benefits to the one who hangs them, his neighborhood and all sentient beings, even flying birds. However, once the flags are hung on wrong astrological dates, they will only bring you negative results. Longer it hangs, greater obstacles arise. Old prayer flags will be removed and replaced with new ones in every Tibetan New Year. |
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