A tsechu is performed as a tribute to guru rimpoche, a great buddhist master who brought buddhism to bhutan. Thimphu tsechu 2019 in bhutan, photos, festival, religion. While many mask dances are performed, the local folk dances performed are very unique and distinct. Maxwell and others published bhutan find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Before you schedule a trip around a speci c festival, check with a tour operator or the tourism council of bhutan for the correct dates. The tsechu is a festival in honor of guru padmasambava one who was born from a lotus flower, popularly known as guru rinpoche, the precious teacher. Featuring socalled mask dances, these festivals are held in buddhist temples and monasteries, and are religious occasions for prayer and blessings. It has been held annually since the consecration of paro dzong in. Bhutan festival dates and description of each festivals held in bhutan, holidays and events of bhutan. The religious aspects are performed in the same manner as in early times. Apr 04, 2017 paro tsechu is one of the biggest tantric buddhism festivals in the bhutanese calendar. The paro tsechu is held in the courtyard of the dzong, except for the final day. Different dzongkhags have their tshechu on different months of the year but always on or near the 10th day of that month.
I am trying to work out whether i will be able to check out the festival in the free time or whether i should. The tsechu festivals of bhutan are a thriving ancient tradition that counts among the most compelling sights in the world. The mystical kingdom of bhutan 2017 spirit is calling. Klosterfest punakha punakha tshechu, punakha dzong, punakha. Paro tsechu is one of the biggest tantric buddhism festivals in the bhutanese calendar. We traveled from paro to bhutans capital and largest city. A tsechu is a buddhist celebration in honor of guru rimpoche, the saint who got buddhism to bhutan. Tharpaling thongdrol, tharpaling lhakhang, chumi, bumthang.
Australia differs a lot from the bhutanese culture in modern bhutan, and features from both. If you are planning for it, please confirm your plan soon. Paro festival attracts alot of locals and foreginers. Thimphu tsechu is a threeday festival of religious ceremonies and costumed dances held in thimphu, the capital city of bhutan. Bhutan festivals calendar 2019 travel to bhutan druk asia. I really enjoyed the tsechu pictures because they captured not just young bhutanese in their sunday best and a chilip in a gho but all sorts of people from all ages, parts of bhutan, and backgrounds. Lopon tsechu rinpoche 1918, bhutan june 10, 2003 was a master of tibetan buddhism, widely regarded in the himalayas, with many students in both the east and the west. Tshechu, or the mask dance festival, is the most important religious festival in bhutan. Secondly, paro and thimphu festivals take place in spring and autumn respectively, 2 of the best seasons to visit bhutan.
The thimphu tsechu was established by the 4th temporal ruler, tenzing rabgye 16381696 in 1670. Trongsa bhutan tourism 2020 travel guide top places. A highlight of the paro tsechu is the unfurling of the silk thangka so large it covers the face of an entire building and is considered one of the most sacred blessings in the whole of bhutan. Jakar tshechu, shawa shachhi, the dance of the stag and the hunting dogs, atsara clown a tshechu or tsechu is an annual religious bhutanese festival held in each district or dzongkhag of bhutan on the tenth day of a month of the lunar tibetan calendar. Bhutan, punakha, panoramic view of valley from lobesa towards wangdue phodrang. The highlight of the paro tshechu is the unfurling of the thongdrel on the final day. Download the pdf document for day by day program, detailsdescription of dances and their significance. I would think at least half a day at the festival in the morning should be sufficient. It was also the first capital of bhutan and the first session of the national assembly was held there in 1953.
Bhutan thimphu download lonely planet ebook lonely. Download types download sector any agriculture sector civil civil registration and census culture dzongkhag tshogdue education sector electoral sector engineering sector environment finance health sector human resource information communication technology internal audit land record legal livestock sector municipal planning procurement rnr. Tsechus are religious as well as large social bhutanese gathhering. Typically, monks perform unmasked in certain group dances, including the black hat dance, while laymen perform masked, in largely.
Tshechus are religious festivals of the drukpa lineage of the kagyu school of tibetan buddhism. Experience the best of both worlds, delving into one of bhutans largest and most intoxicating festivals and then immersing yourself in the spectacular natural beauty on several day hikes. The sevenstorey watchtower, the ta dzong, on the hill above the dzong, now houses the national museum of bhutan. These costumed, masked dances typically are moral vignettes, or based on incidents from the life of the 9th century nyingma teacher padmasambhava and other saints. Punakha is located in the western part of bhutan and this place has critical importance in the history of bhutan since the time of zhabdrung ngawang namgyel, the buddhist saint who unified bhutan, in 17th century.
Tsechus are religious festivals, but also large social gatherings, which perform the function of social bonding among people of remote and spreadout villages. As some of the festivals are small village events, the dates may be tentative and change without notice. Tsechu dancers, paro dzong, bhutan cloaked in long, colorful costumes, a troupe of bhutanese dancers resemble spinning tops as they celebrate at a buddhist festival or tsechu in the courtyard of paro dzong. The thimphu tsechu is an event unlike any other, one you will likely not forget. The trongsa tsechu is held in middecember or early january in the trongsa dzong grounds. These celebrations are held in all locale to pay tribute to guru rinpoche, the holy person who acquainted buddhism with bhutan in the eighth century. Once we dropped our stuff off at the aman and had lunch, we made our way to the tashichho dzong fortressmonastery where the annual tsechu festival was being held. A paradise for tourist interested in buddhist culture and philosophy, flora and fauna, trekking and mountaineering. This thimphu festival is witnessed by thousands of people from all over bhutan. During festival dates, flights are easily fully few months before. Download the western bhutan ebook of lonely planets bhutan guidebook from.
The interesting thing about the dzong is that there is a water tower four stairs down behind the dzong leading to a water reservoir used for drawing water during battle times in olden days. Tshechus are religious festivals of the drukpa lineage of the kagyu school of tibetan buddhism tshechus are large social gatherings, which perform the. This is a religious festival that is held every winter in honour of guru rinpoche or guru padmasambhava who brought buddhism to bhutan in the 8th century. Includes bibliographical references page 126 and index.
A selection of songs and dances can be downloaded from the right hand columns list. It is also a time of religious devotion and of large, busy markets. The event encapsulates the essence of the traditional arts and crafts of bhutan and its culture. One of the biggest festivals in the country is the thimphu tshechu. Many of the dances performed at the tsechu are designed to teach lessons about how ones behavior on earth affects the. The tshechu in thimphu is the secondlargest in the nation, and people from all over bhutan attend, along with thousands from all over the world. Photos of bhutan, see photos of bhutan by travellers. Celebrations in the land of the thunder dragon are rich and upbeat articulations of its old buddhist culture. The book was completed on the day padmasambhavas thondrol large portrait image was unfurled at the paro tshechu festival. The thimphu festival tsechu is one of the grandest of bhutanrsquos festivals and attracts. Paro tsechu festival tour in bhutan makalu adventure. If the festival is taking place in eastern bhutan, you would have to visit bhutan for a minimum of 10 days.
It is held annually in various monasteries, dzongs of bhutan to honor the guru rinpoche padmasambhava being his human form, the lotusborn teacher, who brought tantric buddhism to. Bhutan festival dates 2020 exact calendar, thimphu. Punakha dromchoe is a eight days long festival dedicated to the goddess mahakala. At the break of dawn, the giant applique scroll is unfurled for public display. Bhutan festival tour dates 2020 exact calendar for tours 2020. Evaluation guidelines for procurement of works above 5 million. Bhutan, land of the thunderdragon, is a true living kingdom full of high mountain vistas, welcoming people, and colorful festivals. Zhang gong sheng jun bday august 24, 2016 duration.
The highlight of thimphu tsechu is the showcase of ethnic folk dance in the famous tashichho dzong in thimphu. As a boy, he was ordained as a monk in the largest. Bhutan has many indigenous celebrations apart from the usually observed government and national holidays. This festival is held in the capital city for three days beginning on 10th day of the 8th month of lunar calendar. During the festival, monks and laymen perform mask dances over a stretch of three to five days in a temple or monastery. Punakha tsechu explore the beauty of bhutan ace the. It is held annually in various monasteries, dzongs of bhutan to honor the guru rinpoche padmasambhava being his human form, the lotusborn teacher, who brought tantric buddhism to bhutan in the 8th century. Bhutan western bhutan download lonely planet ebook. It is at a strategic location and has many neighbours. The tshechu is takes place every december th at the druk wangyal lhakhang festival ground located at dochula pass around 22km from the capital city. Thimphu tsechu was initiated by the 4th desi, gyalse tenzin rabgay in 1867 and later some changes were introduced in thimphu tshechu in the 1950s by the third kingof bhutan, jigme dorji wangchuck. But more than anything else, punakha dzong is remembered in the history of bhutan as one having withstood two major attacks made by the tibetans.
A tshechu or tsechu is an annual religious bhutanese festival held in each district or dzongkhag of bhutan on the tenth day of a month of the lunar tibetan calendar. Bhutan street fashion is a really great blog if you want a look into bhutan attire. Thimphu dzongkhag administration, chhogyal lam, 11001, thimphu. The grandest of all the festivals in bhutan is held annually at the royal dzong in thimphu. Bhutan festival dates 2020 exact calendar, thimphu festival 2020. The courtyard was packed with locals looking their best. A traditional bazam cantilever bridge leads to the dzong from across the river. This tshechu is witnessed by thousands of people many of which travel from neighboring dzongkhags districts to attend the festivities. The central feature of every tshechu is the cham dancing. Thimphu tsechu is by all means one of the biggest festivals in the capital of bhutan.
Pdf this volume by khenpo phuntsok tashi, the current head of. Revised prr and sbd 2019 royal government of bhutan. It is held from 9th till 11th of the 8th month of bhutanese calendar in autumn. For a summary of major festivals held in bhutan see p 19. It is one of the oldest tsechus in bhutan and tsechus are said to have spread from trongsa.
Due to the royal governments policy of controlled selective tourism, bhutan has been receiving less than 5000 tourists annually. The annual paro tsechu began on 17th march, 2019 coinciding with the 11th day of the 2nd bhutansese lunar month and ended on 21st. Bhutan is one of the few countries in the world still untouched. Thimphu tsechu is held in an huge open arena, just outside tashicho dzong. Bangkok post, oct 24, 2005 the sacred monk dances of bhutan offer both a visual feast for the eyes and a spiritual experience for the soul. The gasa tshechu is the biggest festival in the small district of gasa in northwest bhutan. The paro festival is an extremely ornamental feast that celebrates the god of the bhutanese, guru rimpoche. Sources say guru rimpoche healed a king called sindhu raja by performing eight forms of dances representing eight manifestations of padmasambhava in the bumthang valley to restore the health of the king. A guide to the tsechu festivals of bhutan sodha travel.
Tshechu are annual religious bhutanese festivals held in each district or dzongkhag of bhutan. Paro tshechu is one of the most popular festivals in bhutan, held annually since the 17th century when zhabdrung ngawang namgyal, the founder of the state of. This festival also provides a great opportunity to witness locals gathered in their finest ghos and kiras in a celebration of their culture. The most popular ones are the tsechu festivals tsechu literally means the tenth day of the lunar calendar when guru rinpoche, the patron saint of bhutan, was born though the exact time when it is celebrated may vary according to the temple or place. Tsechu dancers, paro dzong, bhutan cloaked in long, colorful costumes, a troupe of bhutanese dancers resemble spinning tops as they celebrate at a. The tsechu is a series of dances performed by elaborately dressed and masked cham dancers in honour of guru rinpoche second buddha. I am looking at joining a group tour that will happen to be in paro during the 2018 festival, but is not specifically planned around it. Bhutan festivals dates 2018 book bhutan festival tour. Tsechu means tenth day and is used in much the same way as festival is used in english. Note that dates for festivals can vary by several weeks each year especially if they are adjusted to conform to auspicious dates. Bhutan festival dates listed is provided by bhutan tourism council and tour operators association of bhutan. The dochula druk wangyel festival was established in 2011 in commemoration of his majesty the fourth druk gyalpo and the armed forces victory over indian insurgent forces residing in southern bhutan in 2003.
The highlight of this tour is the punakha tsechu festival consisting of typical masked dances which are very colourful and interesting, the events and enactments are different on each day. So it is possible for you to do a four days visit just to attend the festival. There is a sequence of dances at paro tshechu conducted. Tshechu has the meaning day ten, deriving from the fact that tshechus are held on the tenth day of each month of the buddhist calendar used in bhutan. Paro tsechu is one of the most well known festivals in bhutan. This festival is a ceremony of colors with a happy amalgamation of the changing nature and the many moods of the bhutanese culture. Many of the dances performed at the tsechu are designed to teach lessons about how ones behavior on earth affects the afterlife, while others are believed to. Mar 27, 2016 the sevenstorey watchtower, the ta dzong, on the hill above the dzong, now houses the national museum of bhutan. Punakha drubchen and tsechu details windhorse tours. While many mask dances are performed, the local folk dances performed are very unique and distinct adding to the festive mood of the celebration. Packed with detailed preplanning information, amazing experiences, inspirational images, city walks and the best local knowledge, these are our most comprehensive country guides, designed to immerse you in a culture, discover the best sights and get off the beaten track. A tsechu is a buddhist festival in honour of guru rimpoche, the saint who brought buddhism to bhutan. Thimphu tsechu article about thimphu tsechu by the free.
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