Bhutanese parents do not name their children. Instead, they take them to a lama at a lakhang once they are born, and the lama (based on Buddhist astrology, his mood at the time, or some kind of calculation that has to do with birthday - I get different answers from different people about this) gives the child a name. One thing that all my informants agree on is that the parents never dispute the name, or try to influence the decision, and they just accept that this is the child's name, period. There is no family surname in Bhutan and no one changes a name at marriage. Sometimes people receive one name from the lama, sometimes two. And, there are only a limited number of names, which are not gender-specific & can be used interchangeably for first or second names. This is so different from our Western ideas about naming: individuality, uniqueness, expression of family relationship or personality, etc... none of that.
Here are some Bhutanese names: Chimi, Choedden, Dawa, Dorji, Gyeltsen, Jigme, Karma, Kezang, Namgay, Norbu, Om, Passang, Pema, Rindzen, Sangay, Sonam, Tashi, Tenzing, Tshering, Tshewang, Thinley, Tobgay, Zangmo, Wangdi, Ugyen. This does not exhaust the list, but gives an idea of what names are like - pick any two in any order, and you've got a name.
We have had our children named, most of them by Tashi's uncle, a prominent lama - in fact, he was one of four lopens at one time who were the assistants to the Je Khenpo, the highest religious leader in Bhutan, on par with the Tibetan Dalai Lama but certainly not as internationally well known. Uncle Lama named Thompson when he was a baby here in Bhutan in 1993 = Sonam Tobgay. Forrest was named by a lama who was visiting the United States for a Bhutanese textile exhibit in Salem in 1995 = Sonam Tashi. Jacob was named in absentia by Uncle Lama the last time Don was in Bhutan = Sonam Wangdue.
We had hoped to meet Uncle Lama in person on this trip, but he is in meditation for a prolonged period of time, in a small one-person hermitage high up in the mountains somewhere near Thimphu. He does not speak during this time, but can communicate for one hour a day by writing. Tashi's cousin visited him last week, and was kind enough to take up some gifts from us: a white silk kata or ceremonial scarf (traditional gift for the meditating lama who has everything), some tea & jam, and some photos of Don and Halle, and we asked him in a letter if he would please give her a name.
This evening Tashi came to say that his answer had arrived - I suppose with the cousin, but it could also have been by carrier pigeon or flying tiger, the way she said it had "arrived." Halle is Sonam Pelden. Translation: Sonam = merit, luck, positive energy. Pelden = glorious. Fitting? We think so. Ashti is princess, so she we added the title, making her the Ashti Sonam Pelden. She was thrilled with her name, and with the six "lucky" silk threads Uncle Lama sent in an envelope, one for each member of our family to wear around our necks. Such an honor and something that we have looked forward to about this trip for a long time, that she could be named.
We like the name, too, because now it will be so easy to call the children in for their supper of red rice and dal: just yell "Sonam!!" out the door.
