THE MESSENGERS OF ZANSKAR, A MARRIAGE IN THE HIMALAYAS

The union of yesterday and tomorrow

Synopsis

Likden is a trekking guide living in Skaagam located 3,700 meters high in the Himalayan valley of Zanskar. After four long years of negotiation with his bride’s family, they are now ready to get married.

The preparation for the ritual lasts 4 days and the spiritual guides of the community are responsible for the observance of the ancestral traditions. Even if the lifestyle in Skagam seems stuck in the past, the emergence of cell phones and the internet is raising new hopes. Indeed, Likden dreams of opening a computer school. His brother and friends are studying in Northern India, but all want to come back to build a better future.

Through this Himalayan wedding ceremony, this film is a colorful illustration of the eternal confrontation between tradition and modernity.