Bhutan Tourism

The largest annual festival in Bhutan is the Tshechu, an event honoring Guru Rimpoche through religious dances performed by monks as well as lay people. The dates and duration of the Tsechu festivals vary among districts but they always fall on or around the 10th day of the month in the Bhutanese calendar.

The largest annual festival in Bhutan is the Tshechu, an event honoring Guru Rimpoche through religious dances performed by monks as well as lay people. The dates and duration of the Tsechu festivals vary among districts but they always fall on or around the 10th day of the month in the Bhutanese calendar.

The dances are known as cham and are performed to bless onlookers, to teach them the Buddhist dharma, to protect them from misfortune and to exorcise all evil; the dancers who take on the aspects of wrathful and compassionate deities, heroes, demons, and animals do this. Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel and Pema Lingpa were main figures that composed 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 Atsara 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 perform traditional Bhutanese dances during the intervals between masked dances.

An auspicious event of the many of the Tshechus is the unfurling of the Thondrol from the building overlooking the dance area. This is done before sunrise and most people rush to witness the moment. Thondrols are large Thangkas or religious pictures that are usually embroidered rather than painted. The word itself means ‘liberation on sight’. It is believed that sins are wiped away simply by viewing it.

Apart from its religious implications, the Tshechu is also an annual social gathering where people dress in their finest clothing and jewellery. A small fair may be organized outside the Dzong for those looking for a variety of entertainment.

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Bhutan Tourism