Tibetan Bazaar is the un-Black Friday

Shoppers across the Philadelphia region packed malls and big-box stores on Black Friday, battling for parking spots and discount goods.

But in a second-floor space on the south side of Rittenhouse Square, commerce took on a quieter tone.

The Tibetan Bazaar is the un-Black Friday, a place to shop for unique silverwork and textiles, to savor salty butter tea and inhale the steamy scent of traditional dumplings, known as momos, to trade the blare of canned holiday music for the hum of chanting monks.

The goods are created by artists in Tibetan exile communities in India and Nepal, and the prices are more than reasonable.

"I like all the jewelry," said 16-year-old Marina Hurwitz.

"Everyone's really friendly," added her friend Anna Nordlof, 17.

Were they buying for themselves or for others?

"Both," they answered in unison.

The bazaar, which continues Saturday, is a long tradition and a big secret - staged year after year, but known mostly to those with certain friends or connections.

"I've been coming here for three or four years," said Mike Kornsey, 58, of Northeast Philadelphia, who added that he returns for one big reason: "The people."

Dressed warmly in a green Eagles sweatshirt, he carried a bag filled with purchases - handwoven purses for friends.

The bazaar combines the season's two big ingredients, shopping and religion. Rows of Buddhist malas, similar to prayer beads, lay on tables, arranged next to carved masks and meditation items. Boxes overflowed with woolen mittens and hats, tables with brass singing bowls, hangers with silk and cotton shirts.

"It's very important for us, one of our main events of the year," said Sonam Dorji, 38, secretary of the Philadelphia Tibetan Association.

The event draws merchants from as far away as New York state, a means for vendors to earn income, but also to raise funds for the local Tibetan association and the exile communities overseas.

The bazaar covers a conference room in the Ethical Society Building at 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square. On one side, Tenzin Choephak sold pendants of dzi beads, the brown-and-white stones prized as protective amulets. Across the way, Karma Gelek sold gorgeous scarves and shawls made from Yak wool.

"The Tibetan market serves multiple purposes," said Gelek, a past president of the city Tibetan Association, "not only for the economics of Tibetan artists in our community, but also to educate people about the situation inside Tibet."

Gelek, like many others, is a Tibetan who has never been to Tibet. His parents were among thousands who fled during the Chinese invasion and resettled in neighboring countries such as India, Nepal, and Bhutan.

Many perished during treacherous trips across the Himalayas. Gelek was born and raised in India, and now lives in Lafayette Hill. Many people who come to the bazaar know Tibet's history. Others know little.

"They say, 'Tibet, where on the globe is Tibet?'" Gelek said. "I try to explain what happened during the Chinese invasion in the 1950s. . . . That's one more person who knows about the situation inside Tibet, and that helps."

In 1950, the People's Liberation Army drove into the country, and Tibetan resistance fomented throughout the decade. The failed Lhasa Uprising in 1959 resulted in the Dalai Lama's flight into exile.

Today, about 11,000 Tibetans live in the United States, tied to Tibet as a spiritual home. The Tibetan community in the Philadelphia area has grown in the last few years but remains small, about 150, with newcomers coming from other states and from Dharamsala, India, home of the Tibetan government in exile and of Dalai Lama.

On Friday, consumers across the Philadelphia region and the country came out for the traditional start of the year's biggest shopping weekend - the time when the ink on ledger books turns from red to black, signaling profits.

Last year, an estimated 92 million consumers shopped on Black Friday. Some small percentage of that figure ventured into the Tibetan Bazaar.

"I meet a lot of generous people," said Tsultrim Dorjee, 27, among eight monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery in southern India who came to the bazaar to chant and pray.

The group is touring the United States to create awareness about Tibetan culture, trumpet what they see as the abuses of occupying Chinese forces, and raise money for food, health care, and schools.

"Certainly, it's about business," said Sonam Zoksang, who runs Vision of Tibet in New York state and serves as the Dalai Lama's unofficial photographer in North America. "But it's a wonderful opportunity for people to talk [about Tibet]. It's like a family gathering."

On Friday, new and old members of that family pulled out wallets, some forcing themselves to leave early lest they buy too much.

"This is quite a special experience," said Eric Hart of Philadelphia, who was shopping with his wife, Adrienne.

"There's a spiritual sense," she said. "There's great food, beautiful textiles and jewelry. This is unlike anything you can find in the King of Prussia mall."

215-854-4906 @JeffGammage