Tibetan "Qemar Box" ▎ A treasure box carrying good luck and blessings.

There are a variety of boxes in traditional Tibetan culture. For example, one of the most well-known is the Gau box, which is a talisman containing scriptures that people carry with them daily. While serving as a prayer tool, it also becomes a decorative item, with the same function as accessories. In temples, there are scripture boxes that store important scriptures and scrolls, while Tibetan medicine practitioners have medicine boxes for traditional Tibetan medicine and herbs. In the past, noble families had treasure boxes for storing precious items such as natural jewelry.

These boxes are designed differently based on their purposes, but they share the common feature of being exquisitely designed. They may be intricately carved, intricately painted, intricately inlaid, or creatively combined. Through extraordinary creativity and skilled craftsmanship, they transcend their practical utility and become highly valued works of art, providing aesthetic enjoyment and serving as a spiritual space where people can find solace through the fusion of religious and cultural elements.

The Qemar box(ཕྱེ་མར་འབོ།), from a practical perspective, is simply a special box for storing barley, but from a cultural perspective, it is a box that carries wishes and blessings, symbolizing offerings and devotion. By translating "切玛盒" into English, we can observe and appreciate its significance from a different cultural perspective, which may help us better understand its usage and peek into its profound cultural background.

May all your wishes come true and may you have a long and prosperous life.

Image: Pinterest

Qemarbo or Qemarbox, transliterated from Tibetan ཕྱེ་མར་འབོ།, literally means a box containing grain and cereals. This name better reflects the significance of Qemarbox in its practical application scenarios, such as in festive occasions where people show care and greetings to each other, conveying and expressing heartfelt blessings to each other. Through a finely crafted and beautiful box, blessings are given to others, sharing luck and auspiciousness.

This reflects a sense of etiquette and morality, allowing people to comprehend and deeply feel the connection and circulation of positive energy. It also embodies the simple and pure belief concept of the Tibetan people.

Qemar box in the New Year market.

Image: Pinterest

The exact emergence of the Qemar box is uncertain, and there is no specific date when it began to be used widely. Some believe that the Qemar box was born out of the development of Tibetan farming and pastoral culture. As the main staple food in Tibet is barley, Qemar and butter are traditional main foods. The Qemar box, as a practical and convenient tool for storing these foods, naturally appeared in various daily life scenarios with the need for people to pray for a good harvest and favorable weather.

Over time, ordinary boxes filled with grains gradually acquired various unique meanings, such as expectations for a bountiful harvest and celebrations of happiness and auspiciousness. The Qemar box thus transcended its utilitarian function as a common tool and became a sacred gift with abstract meaning, serving as a vessel for carrying people's spiritual beliefs.

Exquisite carving is also the crystallization of inner beauty and wisdom.

Image: Pinterest

Carved Qemar box, beauty in ordinary homes.

The shape of a Tibetan butter tea box is generally shaped like a scoop, with the internal space divided into two compartments. One compartment contains roasted barley grains, while the other compartment contains tsampa mixed with butter. Both compartments are usually filled to form a golden character, symbolizing abundance and prosperity. The box is then decorated with colorful grain ears and delicate butter flower patterns, creating a Tibetan butter tea box.

Tibetan Qemar boxes are typically made from soft and flexible poplar wood for practical and economic reasons. The soft wood also allows for further carving and decoration, enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the box. Higher quality boxes are often made from finer and tougher cedar wood, suitable for preserving as a family heirloom for generations.

Chamagudao box beautifully decorated, symbolizing a bountiful harvest

of the five grains

Image: Pinterest

Various cultural patterns, symbols with auspicious meanings, animals, plants and flowers are common decorative elements on Tibetan incense boxes. These auspicious elements are presented on the boxes through carving, painting, or inlaying, making the Tibetan incense box a unique craft that combines multiple art forms, highlighting its unparalleled cultural charm and aesthetic value.

The making of Tibetan incense boxes not only reflects the exquisite craftsmanship and extraordinary creativity and wisdom of the artisans, but also materializes people's aspirations and yearning for a better life.

Fill the Qemar box with good luck.

Image: Pinterest

Offering up a qemar box,
may wishes come true.

The rich and ancient culture of Tibet makes it easy for us to discover the shadow of Qemar Box in the many folk stories and legends that have been passed down to this day. These stories may express beliefs or love, and different expressions correspond to different versions of the story.

Qemar Box

Image: Pinterest

In a tale of love, it is said that in ancient times a young couple deeply admired each other, but their free and romantic love could not gain the support of the girl's parents. Under the strict orders and surveillance of their elders, the couple ultimately had to part ways with reluctance. However, the boy could not contain his growing longing for the girl. He spent dozens of nights carefully crafting a Qemar box with his own hands, filling it with fragrant barley that he had grown and harvested himself. With this box in hand, he gathered his courage and visited his beloved girl once again. The girl's parents were moved by the boy's diligence, kindness, and sincerity this time, and they were finally won over by him. And so, the couple was able to reunite. In this story, the Qemar box made by the boy became a symbol of love and loyalty.

Nicholas Roerich's work: Teacher's Order

Image: Pinterest

In a story of expressing faith, it is said that a long time ago, a hunter got lost in the deep mountains while hunting. After struggling against harsh natural conditions for several days, the hunter, almost losing his will to survive, saw a temple hidden in the mist not far away. The instinct for survival drove the hunter to muster up his strength and trek towards the temple. In the temple, the hunter saw a very exquisite and seemingly otherworldly beautiful Qemar box on the altar, filled with fresh barley and tsampa. Out of reverence, the hunter made a sincere wish facing the Qemar box, hoping to receive help and blessings from the divine. Soon, several monks passed by and led the hunter out of the deep mountains, turning his peril into safety. When he returned home, the hunter believed that the auspicious arrival was all thanks to the Qemar box. With a heart full of reverence, he devoted all his efforts to making a larger and more exquisite Qemar box, filled with barley and tsampa, to offer at home, seeking peace and blessings.

Nicholas Roerich's work: Teacher's Order

Image: Pinterest

Through these stories, we can better understand the significance of the Qemar box in the cultural context of Tibet, and its important role in everyday life. We can see how people cherish and respect the Qemar. The Qemar box not only serves as a practical tool that enhances people's lives, but also reflects their spiritual world, depicting their love for life and pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty.

Full of good fortune and blessings

In Tibetan tradition, the Qemar box is widely used in both secular life and religious ceremonies. In secular life, the Qemar box often appears in various festive occasions, such as New Year and weddings, as an essential auspicious symbol for celebrations and welcoming guests. In religious ceremonies, the Qemar box is mainly used as an important offering, placed on the altar to express reverence and seek protection and blessings.

Hiding blessings in a Qemar box.

Image: Pinterest



Scholar Jiacuo Dunzhu describes the custom of taking a bride in Tibet in his introduction to the charm of the snowy region, mentioning the ritual of offering the "quemar" (quima, in the original text). From this, we can vividly feel the importance of the quemar box in Tibetan life.

The specific invocation goes as follows: "The quemar is piled up like a snowy mountain, with butter and colorful flowers like the sun and moon. Five-colored grains like the golden autumn, symbolizing a bountiful harvest. Wheat on top of the quemar box, symbolizing everything going smoothly. Salt on top of the quemar box, symbolizing power and wealth. Vegetable seeds on top, symbolizing the prosperity of future generations. With eight thousand fruits on the box, symbolizing eternal prosperity. Praying to the heavenly gods for blessings, the earth gods for peace, and the dragon king for wealth. Taking a pinch of the offering for good luck."

Wedding ceremony offering auspicious blessings with a traditional Qemar Box.

Image: Pinterest

The specific ways of offering blessings are actually reflected in some other ethnic cultural ceremonies in our country, where these blessings or wishes are spontaneously interpreted by specially appointed individuals based on their personal talents, sometimes with humor. It can also be a family profession passed down through generations by oral tradition from ancestors. Regardless of the form, the purpose is to convey auspicious and blessing meanings. In the unique culture of Tibet, blessings are conveyed to the recipient by presenting a meticulously decorated Qemar box.

As the saying goes in Chinese culture, even though a sparrow is small, it has all the vital organs. Similarly, the Qemar box contains a world of its own. A simple designed square wooden box filled with a variety of richly decorated items, each carrying their own auspicious symbolism and playing different roles to express different blessings. It gathers sincere wishes, making it in a way an unquestionable treasure trove.

Offering blessings to the Quan Yin, carrying heartfelt wishes.
Image: National Geographic China

The Tibetan butter sculpture, called "Qemar Box" in Tibetan, is an important carrier of Tibetan culture, vividly reflecting the unique charm of Tibetan culture and carrying the rich, deep, beautiful, and sincere emotions of the Tibetan people.

On special occasions, people sincerely offer Qemar Box as a token of blessing and respect to their guests, showing kindness to others and celebrating the joy of harvest, expressing gratitude for the gifts of nature.

Image: Pinterest

This article is translated from Dalu's blog.