Mani Rimdu Festival in Tengboche

Namaste!
My girlfriend's father recently showed me his Everest Base Camp Trek photos, which of course were great! I was pleasantly surprised to see some fantastic photos of a festival taking place in Tengboche - the Mani Rimdu Festival!
For some great shots of the festival check out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunstoneadventures/3960058794/in/set-72157621396424084/
MANI RIMDU FESTIVAL 2009
The most important festival in Tengboche is called the Mani Rimdu. It consists of nine days of ceremonies and meditation (Drupchen). This is concluded by a special blessing ceremony given by Tengboche Rinpoche to the public and the world renowned Mask Dances performed by the monks at Tengboche Monastery.
The following are the approximate dates of Mani Rimdu events this year based on the Tibetan lunar calendar.
23. Oct. 2009: Preparations including making the sand Mandala and Tormas (symbolic offerings made of coloured butter and barley flour)
26. Oct. 2009: Drupchen ceremonies start and continue uninterrupted for 8 days.
2 Nov. 2009: Monks practice dancing without masks
3 Nov. 2009: Giving the blessing to the general public (Wang)
4 Nov. 2009: Famous Mask Dances preformed by the monks in a special day long ceremony. Afterwards the Sherpa community sing and dance the whole night long.
5 Nov. 2009: Concluding Fire Puja.
(NB this dates were confirmed by Tengboche Monastery on 18/3/2009)
The most likely dates in 2010 are 23rd October for the Blessing Ceremony and 24th October 2010 for the Mask Dances. To be confirm in Feb. 2010.
DUMJE FESTIVAL 2009
30 May to 7 June 2009: Dumje puja and celebrations in the Khumbu area including specal ceremonies at Namche, Thame, Khumjung, Pangboche and Pakding.
These dates may vary by one or two days depending on local events. They are based on the tibetan lunar calendar.
For further info please see the Tengboche Monastery Development Project website:
http://d30026567.purehost.com/contents.htm
Cheers,
Paul