The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-04-25
ODD CONTEST
IS THE WATER
AND MUD FIGHT
Which is :ndulged in Annually
by the Men and Women OF
Bhutan in Rice Field.

WASHINGTON, D. c., April 20
One of the oldest annual contests IN
the world, mud and water hshLs
during which the women of far-on
and little known Bhutan, in the heart
| of the Himalayas, seek to prevent
the men from taking possession OF
! an Inundated rice field. is described
by John Claude White, late pol1tlcai
| oficer Of charge Of Sikhims Bhutan.
and parts of Tibet within the sphere
of British influence, In commun1-
cation to the National Geographic So
Getty, at Washington, d. Q. The event
| is known as the spring ceremony OF
| blessing of the rice fields. victory
for the women portends, during the
coming season, fertility of the soil
and increases among the hocks ana
| herds.
Women Win.
early one morning the sound OF
sweet-toned gong warned us that
the spring ceremony of blessing the
rice fields was about to begin, =
writes Mr.. White. "A long and pic
turesque procession of men and Wo-
men, led by tho donyer, came car weno-
| ing down the hillside until the hrst
rice field, in which water had been
running all the day before, was
reached. The field below was still
dry, and turning in these they all sal
| down and had some refreshments.
| Suddenly the men sprang up, throw
! ing off their outer garm ents; this was
| the signal for the women to rush to
/ the inundated fle1d and to commence
| throwing cIods of earth and splashes
| of muddy water on the men below
as they tried to climb up. Then fol-
i lowed a wild and mad, though always
/ good-natured, struggle between the
men and the women in the water the
Il men doing their utmost to take pos
session OF the watery field, the women
equally determined to keep them out.
THE donyer, the leader of the men,
suffered severely, though the courte-
Il sizes of war were strictly observed,
4 and Fl, one of the assailantS Tell MS OPP
4 ponents hepled him up and gave him
II breathing space to recover before
another onslaught was made. But
Il gradually the women drove the men
Il down the whole length of the held
II until the last stand was made by
very stout and powerful official, VINO,
/ cl.nging to an exchanging rock
with his back TO his foes, used ms
| feet to scoop up such quantities o.
mud and water that no one was able
II to come near him. However, all the
4 other men having been driven on
he and the donyer were allowed at
! last to crawl up on the path and me
combat for the year was over. me
victory OF the women was looked
upon as very propit!ous endlng'
so they isappeared to their various
homes rejoicing
Capable Housewives.
Mr.. White writes of being enter
tanned by one of the ONO ais, as FOL
lows: I'VE mere saw what capable
housewives the iBhutan ladies re.
Everything was done very systemat-
Iically. In the morning the provisions
for the day were given out-no easy
task, with some hundreds OF retain
lers to feed-and the store rooms re-
Hooked, orders issued, and tasks ap-
lpointed in spinning, weaving, etc, TO
lbe carried out by the large house
hold of women, and 1t was interest
ling to see the Difference in wafca
these danes are held. We were
shown all the Industries of weaving
lin cotton, wool and SILK, the pre-
cess of casting metals, chiefly bells
and images, the making of swords
land gold and silver smiths work
MANY pieces turned out by the lat
tier we're of exquisite design and m
.Iish. 1t was all most Interesting anu
Instructive We visited someWnas
Igruesome spot, wnere the tDodles OF
1.-The higher families are exposed on
Ia slab Of rock after death to he eaten
Inv lammergeiers. 1t was beauti-
lfl1, though terrible spot, close IN
Ider the SHOWS and glaciers of their
Sacred mountain, Cho-mo-Lha-ri.
This country was so little known
.ithat as recently as 1890 hIgh IN
Id;an official wrote most unreserVeo-
liv as my explorations proved: NO
lone wishes to explore that tangle OF
iugIe-cIad and fever-stricken hills'
infested with leecaes and pipsa-hy'
and offering NJ compromising al
Ivantages to the most enterprtsins
: lpfoneer. Science passes it by as a
, region not sufficiently characteristic
Ito merit special explorat on I"