Dugjuuba (purification ritual) among Buddhists

On the eve of the Buddhist New Year (Sagaalgan), Buddhists perform the Dugjuuba ritual This ceremony is held on the 29th lunar day on the eve of the first spring new moon Regardless of the local characteristics of Buddhism, all believers have been very reverent and serious about this ritual since ancient times On the eve of the New Year, Buddhist families are making final preparations for the New Year celebration, and the Dugzhuub ritual occupies one of the main places It should be especially noted that among Buddhists, for example the Mongols or Buryats, Sagaalgan is the only holiday, with its fun, gifts, good wishes and official days off This holiday serves as a date that “increases” the age of the Chinese, Japanese, Tibetans, Koreans, Mongols, Buryats and other peoples who profess Buddhism On the eve of the New Year, Buddhists clean the house, not leaving even the slightest corner of the most abandoned room untidy In the old days, all family members took out and shook out their own clothes, and also prepared special outfits from the most expensive fabrics (silk, brocade, etc), not excluding even babies Gifts were prepared, pipes were cleaned and renewed, which were lit and presented to senior family members symbolizing honor and respect Even in the poorest yurts or houses these days, women prepared special treats The men chose their best horses, prepared new harness, combed and decorated their manes Even the dogs received their “gifts” - a new leash and collar Having finished with the material dirt, Buddhists moved on to spiritual cleansing - the Dugzhuub ritual This ceremony was supposed to remove all obstacles, remove all the bad things that prevent a person from finding well-being, happiness, inner peace and peace in the New Year The ritual begins with wiping the person with a piece of dough, which was prepared only from flour and clean water Then, a human figurine was molded from it Buddhists believe that in this way they convey to this figurine their losses, possible “damage,” losses and illnesses The figurines sculpted by family members were taken to a Buddhist monastery or temple (datsan) There they were folded into a special ritual structure in the form of a pyramid (Soor), which, with the onset of darkness, turned into a special ritual fire In size, it is comparable or even surpasses the well-known “pioneer” fire Lamas perform a special ritual of suppressing evil forces and cleansing with the help of fire During the chants they perform, people ask for everything bad to burn and go away with the fire Believing Buddhists note that the process of wiping with a piece of dough really gives them the feeling that along with it all the troubles, everything that prevented them from living, go into the past After finishing the rubdown, they feel increased strength and faith in the future This process causes the greatest delight in young children Lighting a fire is a special ritual of the Dugzhuub ritual, which is also called after the structure itself - Soor of smell This fire should not be lit in the forest or in a local area Buddhist traditions have long merged with animalistic beliefs, which categorically prohibit harming the main natural elements and elements, not excluding fire If this happens, then the person thereby harms himself and the world around him Bonfire (fire) as a symbol of purification must be consecrated and kindled after the appropriate ritual, therefore the Dugzhuuba ritual cannot be performed at home Otherwise, by throwing garbage (human dough figures) into the fire, you will offend the spirit of fire