"Tsam" the mask dance

Tsam is one of the Buddhist rituals and its origination and development are inevitably connected with Buddhist devotees and nations. In Mongolia, the tsam was introduced at the beginning of the 18^thcentury from India through Tibet. For instance, the first tsam in Mongolia was performed in Erdenezuu Monastery in 1786s. Tsam performance could be seen as a dance from artistic point of view, but in depth it is a secret tantric ritual, which has very subtle meaning. It is a religious ritual with a secret meaning and its rules and meaning were studied by knowledgeable Buddhist monks, who reached certain levels of realizations and they performed them by abiding by strict rules.

Tsam dances are spectacles of sublime and mesmerizing beauty, of colour, motion and sound that serve as public performances as well as divine offerings. Tsam dancers meditate, pray and softly chant while performing. Their dancing is a "meditation in action," creating a sacred space with a particular felt mood or vibration, and is also an active prayer with a particular target. Tsam can also be seen as a "shamanic" kind of exorcism or purification of a given place or time – or better, a Buddhist "blessing" or energizing-event designed to uplift and make virtuous the audience's mind. Tsam dancers are seen to embody or "channel" the Divine beings – their created space is that of a Deity's presence in its own transcendent palace and grounds. 

Mongolia's rich tradition of Tsam dances not only rivaled those performed in Tibet but may have in fact surpassed them in splendour, elegance and size. The Tsam costumes and masks seen in Ulaan Bataar's museums are absolutely breathtaking. His.Holiness the 8th Jetsun Dampa would often oversee an enormous Tsam dance performed for New Year celebrations that would count thousands of participants and would culminate with a carnavalesque parade through downtown Ulaan Bataar, highlighted by an Indian elephant pulling Buddha Maitreya's divine carriage.