The next day after getting back to base camp we took part in the Sherpa ceremony (“Puja”) that officially started the climbing season on Everest. This is a very traditional event in which a local lama performs the ceremony that asks for the protection and safety for those who are about to enter the mountain starting with the Khumbu ice fall. All Sherpa participate in the ceremony, and climbers are bringing their equipment, such as crampons, ice axes, harnesses with other hardware to receive protection before getting on the mountain. During the ceremony, the climbing sherpas start erecting a high post over the traditional stone altar and running long lines of prayer flags hundreds of feet into the Khumbu glacier and all the way into the ice fall. Participating in the traditional Puja was a very special and memorable event. Once more we are reminded of the deep tradition and of the respect of the local Sherpa people to their environment. Mt. Everest is after all the Sherpa’s mountain, and we are the guests in this part of the world. With prayer flags now flying high and far into the Khumbu glacier, the climbing season on Mt. Everest can officially begin.
Pictures of the Puja will come later.
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