Colorful festivities
As early as February, after the winter torpor, the festivals that Bhutan is famous for - the tshechu- start to bloom all over the country. For eight months, with the exception of July and August, which are too hot, they bring together thousands of Bhutanese and give them the opportunity to rediscover the meaning of their religion. For several days (from 2 to 5 days), men and women put on their best clothes and attend with great fervour these sacred ceremonies, the tshechu, which are the scene of mystical dances, the chham, performed in honour of Guru Rinpoche. The tshechu
(which in Dzonghka means "10th day") commemorate the great deeds of the wise man that would have taken place on a 10th day. If you can, try to coordinate your agendas with these festivals as they are worth the detour.In all the district capitals an annual tshechu is held, but the dates vary from region to region. In some important dzongs, such as Thimphu and Paro, not one but two major festivals are held annually: a dromchoe, dedicated to the protective deities, and a tshechu dedicated to Guru Rinpoche. If some rare religious festivals do not give rise to any dance and simply consist of the reading of a particular text, in the majority of cases, the paved courtyards of the dzongs and choerten
(monasteries) are transformed into an incredible scene. Dressed in spectacular costumes, made of yellow silk or decorated with chiseled bone ornaments, the dancers, who are either monks or lay people, form a circle or a line and perform a series of steps with elegant arm movements. They wear heavy masks made of painted wood, representing animals, terrible deities, skeletons, manifestations of Guru Rinpoche or simply humans. Some have peaceful features, others, on the contrary, symbolize mental poisons, in the form of frightening masks.Dance, a living religious practice
Much more than a simple dance, the chham
, which literally translates as "mystery game", symbolizes the destruction of demonic spirits. It allows the audience to be touched by the Buddha's blessing as well as by the Tantric deities. Those initiated into the religious and philosophical context of Buddhism will also perceive in these dances a path to Enlightenment. There are three kinds of chham: first, the didactic dances which are fabulous stories of moral or historical character: the Dance of Princes and Princesses(Pholley Molley), the Dance of the Deer and Hunting Dogs(Shawa Shaachi); second, the dances which purify souls or protect from demonic spirits: the Dance of Black Hats(Shanag) the Dance of Terrible Deities(Tungam); and finally those that proclaim the victory of Buddhism and the glory of Guru Rinpoche: the Dance of the Drummers of Dramitsé, classified as an intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO in 2005, during which twelve men in yellow skirts, flanked by animal masks, dance while beating a drum. They represent Guru Rinpoche's entourage and celebrate the victory of religion. Some dances are relatively short, while others last one or two hours. The end of a dance is announced by musicians blowing long trumpets(drungchen) with a characteristic sound. In the middle of these dances, the Atsara evolve, cheeky characters with expressive masks who are there to entertain the public during the tshechu. They are in a way the cousins of the comedians of Greek Antiquity who appeared between the tragedies and buffoons of the Middle Ages. During tshechu, they can be recognized by their red mask with a long nose. They make saucy jokes and mimes that challenge religious conventions. In a largely codified society, a clown's role is to say out loud what people think in a low voice. Like the divine madmen, who had freed themselves from conventional behaviour, theAtsara, for whom everything is allowed for a few days, is there to make the public laugh when certain dances drag on, while at the same time maintaining order. More and more, the Atsara come to collect from the public and bless the donors with a wooden phallus. Enough to ensure you happiness and success for the future!A highlight of Bhutanese social life
For the Bhutanese, the tshechu are an opportunity to get together with friends and relatives who are geographically distant, around a convivial picnic. One takes out one's best clothes, one's most beautiful jewellery, one plays games of chance. For the Bhutanese, attending the tshechu would allow them to acquire merits. Some of the festivities end with a huge thangka representing Guru Rinpoche and his eight events on the building overlooking the stage. This thangka is called a thongdroel, which means "liberated by sight": in other words, just by looking at it, the audience would be washed of their sins and delivered from the cycle of reincarnations. Some festivals end with a wang, a collective verbal blessing given by a religious. Coloured cords are then distributed and everyone ties one around their neck as a blessing.
The dates of the holidays
The tshechu are very popular with Bhutanese and tourists alike. So remember to book early if you want to be sure you can sleep there.
The dates of the festivals depend on the Bhutanese lunar calendar, and therefore do not necessarily all take place on a 10th day. To check the dates, visit the Tourism Council of Bhutan website (www.tourism.gov.bt). There are also online calendars that allow you to convert the dates.
