Prayer Flags
( 2005-10-27 )

Suddenly, gongs and horns rang out and the sound of Sanskrit reverberated in the air. As the gentle breeze was stroking his face under the blue sky, the monk felt utterly refreshed and all of a sudden, seemed to understand everything in the universe completely. Slightly opening his eyes, the monk found the scripture had been blown all over the sky, the tree, and the river. He let out a loud laugh and disappeared in the distance, leaving behind the flying scripture and the bursts of the sound of Sanskrit.

From then on, the Tibetans began to print lines of the scripture on cloth orpaperand hang them in the air in commemoration of the monk's attained enlightenment and as a tribute to the Buddhist scripture.

 Prayer flags

1. Material

The most commonly used material of prayer flags is cloth, but there are also flags made from hemp, silk, and handmade paper. Prayer flags come in various shapes and sizes, but in most cases, they are square or rectangular in shape and have a width ranging from 10 to 60 centimeters. Sometimes, a prayer flag can be as small as a narrow stripe while a large one can extend to cover a whole roll of cotton cloth.

The flags are either attached to a rope or thrown out into the air at random. When the wild wind blows, pieces or clusters of prayer flags flutter against the blue sky, the snow mountains and the bright shining lakes, signaling the upward spirit and people's positive attitude toward life.

2. Color

Five colors are usually employed on prayer flags -- white, yellow, red, green and blue. It is sung in folk songs: " Yellow flags are the symbol of the lotus flower / Red ones signal timely wind and rain / Blue ones represent thriving and prosperous descendants / Red ones on grass land looks like antlers, shining like dazzling sunlight while burning vigorously like a fireball on top of a roof."

In the eyes of the Tibetans, white is the color of purity and kindness; red means prosperity and toughness; green shows serenity and gentleness; yellow indicates mercy and talent; and blue reveals intelligence and bravery.