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3 Festivals of Bhutan Bhutan is one of the most religious countries in the Buddhist world. And like all Buddhist nations, festivals have a special place in the hearts of its residents. Most of the Bhutanese festivals commemorate the deeds of the Buddha or those of the great masters of the past associated with one Buddhist tradition or another. Bhutanese culture is characterized by religious celebrations. Its people love socializing, attending festivals, joking, playing, and doing all the things that help them to be in the spirit of celebration. Religion and social life are so intrinsically linked in the culture that a festival takes place somewhere in Bhutan throughout the year. Among these festivals, one of the most recognized and attended by the masses is the Tshechu festival (‘Tshe’ means ‘date’ and ‘Chu’ means ‘ten’; i.e. ‘10th day’). This festival is celebrated to commemorate the great deeds of the 8th century Tantric Master Guru Padmasambhava. ‘Guru Rimpoche’ or simply ‘Guru’ as he is referred to, introduced the Nyingma school of Buddhism into Tibet and Bhutan. Each 10th day of the lunar calendar is said to commemorate a special event in the life of Padmasambhava and some of these are dramatized in the context of a religious festival. Most of the festivals last from three to five days - of which one day usually falls on the 10th day of the lunar calendar. It is not just the time for people to get together, dress up and enjoy a convivial light-hearted atmosphere, but also a time to renew one’s faith, receive blessings by watching the sacred dances or receive ‘empowerment’ from a lama or Buddhist monk. An auspicious event of many of the Tshechus is the unfurling of the Thongdrol from the main building overlooking the dance area. This is done before sunrise and most people rush to witness the moment. Thongdrols are large Thangkas or religious pictures that are usually embroidered rather than painted. The word itself means ‘liberation on sight.’ It is believed that bad karmas are expiated simply by viewing it. Spring is one of the best times to visit Bhutan. It is also at this time that the local inhabitants of Paro celebrate the spring festival, one of the most popular festivals. Monks as well as laymen dressed in brilliant costumes and wearing masks of both wrathful as well as peaceful deities, re-enact the legends and history of Buddhism in the Dragon Kingdom. The festival culminates in the spectacular showing of the four-storey high, 350-year-old Thangkha, celebrating the deeds of Padmasambava. The Wandgue and Thimphu Tshechus are in the fall. These festivals are very popular with western tourists. The festivals in Bumthang and East Bhutan attract fewer tourists and those who want to get a more authentic flavor of Bhutan’s cultural and religious extravaganza will be well rewarded. Apart from its religious implications, the Tshechu is also an annual social gathering where people dress in their finest clothing and jewelry. Locals attending the festival enjoy a picnic lunch with an abundance of locally brewed alcohol. After the festival they traverse west to east along Bhutan’s lateral highway enjoying the great bio-diversity, ranging from conifer forests to banana trees and cactus plants. Along the route, one catches glimpses of various birds and wild animals, and experiences the ancient tradition and culture of the Bhutanese way of life. The dances that are performed at this event honoring the ‘Guru’, known as Cham, are performed to bless onlookers and to teach them the Buddhist dharma in order to protect them from misfortune and to exorcise all evil. The dancers take on the aspects of wrathful and compassionate deities, heroes, demons, and animals. Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and Pema Lingpa were the main composers of many of the dances. It is believed that merit is gained by attending this religious festival. The dances invoke the deities to wipe out misfortunes, increase luck and grant personal wishes. Onlookers rarely fail to notice the Atsaras, or clowns, who move through the crowds mimicking the dancers and performing comic routines in their masks with long red noses. A group of ladies performs traditional Bhutanese dances during the intervals between mask dances. No one should visit Bhutan without going to a Tshechu. Since most monasteries stage their own Tshechu at different times of the year to honor Guru Rimpoche, there’s a festival almost every week. Western tourists flock to the larger of these events such as the ones at Paro, Wangue and Thimphu, and hotels and flights are sold out months in advance to organized tourist groups. Anyone who wishes to visit Bhutan during these festivals should plan and make their tour arrangements well in advance. The dates and duration of the Tshechu festivals vary among dzongkhags (districts) but they always fall on or around the 10th day of the month in the Bhutanese calendar.
Festivals By far the most colorful event in Bhutan, festivals are a great way to participate with locals in their time honored traditions, commemorating the deeds of Buddha. Dancing, singing, laughter and food are all part of these multi-day events. More than a party, each dance tells a story. Watch and see the history of Bhutan unfold before your eyes in a carnival of color! 4
Page 1 and 2: V ILLAGE TOURS & TREKS ILLAGE TOURS
Page 3: About Bhutan The Country Bhutan is
Page 7 and 8: Kurjey Tshechu Festival One of the
Page 9 and 10: Punakha Dromchoe Festival Punakha w
Page 11 and 12: Tangbi Mani Festival The Tangbi Man
Page 13 and 14: Ura Tshechu Festival Ura is located
Page 15 and 16: Cultural Pictures and itineraries j
Page 17 and 18: Classic Cultural Extended Tour Grea
Page 19 and 20: Kingdom Tour Enjoy interacting with
Page 21 and 22: Thimphu Tour You’ll have the oppo
Page 23 and 24: Treks Long or short, custom or plan
Page 25 and 26: Gasa Hot Springs Trek The hot sprin
Page 27 and 28: Druk Path Trek This is a short five
Page 29 and 30: Day 10 Dolam Kencho - Dodena - Thim
Page 31 and 32: Laya - Lingzhi - Gasa Trek Day 10 S
Page 33 and 34: Nabji Korphu Winter Trek The temple
Page 35 and 36: Custom Didn’t find what you were
Page 37 and 38: Custom Tours and Treks Sporting and
Page 39 and 40: Traveller Information Responsibilit

v illage - Bhutan Village Tour

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