The Cham Dance; Credit: The Asia Project at Marlboro College

The Cham Dance, associated with some sects of Buddhism, is a lively dance which employs dancers wearing masks and ornamented costumes. The dance is accompanied by music played by monks using traditional Tibetan instruments. The dances often offer moral instruction relating to non-harm to sentient beings and are said to bring merit to all who observe them. A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived between approximately 566 and 486 BCE. Originating in India, Buddhism gradually spread throughout Asia to Central Asia... The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. ... A Roman Catholic monk A monk is a person who practices monasticism, adopting a strict religious and ascetic lifestyle, usually in community with others following the same path. ... An instrument is a concrete or abstract tool intended for a purpose other than mechanical work, in particular a refined one. ... Morality is a complex of principles based on cultural, religious, and philosophical concepts and beliefs, by which an individual determines whether his or her actions are right or wrong. ... Sentience is the capacity for basic consciousness -- the ability to feel or perceive, not necessarily including the faculty of self-awareness. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

In countries such as Bhutan, the dances are performed during an annual religious festival known as Tsechu, which is held in each district. At certain festivals a large painting known as a thongdrol is also briefly unfurled. The simple viewing of the thongdrol is believed to carry such merit as to free the observer from all present sin. Religion, sometimes used interchangeably with faith, is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the practices and institutions associated with such belief. ... A festival or fest is an event, usually staged by a local community, which centers on some theme, sometimes on some unique aspect of the community. ... Sin has been a term most usually used in a religious context, and today describes any lack of conformity to the will of God; especially, any willful disregard for the norms revealed by God is a sin. ...

Cham dances are considered illegal in Tibet by the governing body of the Peoples Republic of China. Tibet (Tibetan: བོད་, Bod, pronounced pö in Lhasa dialect; Chinese: 西藏, pinyin: Xīzàng; older spelling Thibet) is a region and former independent country in Central Asia and the home of the Tibetan people. ...