Shangri-La Bhutan Tours & Treks - Festivals of Bhutan

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Festivals of Bhutan

Many visitors come to Bhutan to witness religious festivals held annually in Dzongs throughout the country. The most popular for the tourists are those held in Thimphu, Paro and Bumthang. They mark the busiest time of the year for the tourism and reservations (particularly for hotels) are frequently difficult to come by. The Dzongs come to the life with color, music and dancing as valley dwellers and towns folk dress in their best cloths and join together to exorcise evil sprits and rejoice in a new harvest. Rare masked and sword dances and their rituals are performed in the Dzong’s courtyards and temples. Tourists are allowed into the Dzongs to watch the spectacle but they are not allowed inside temples.

Photography should always be discreet. It is generally allowed to take photograph at TSECHUS but not at DROMCHOES. Most of the dances date back to beyond the Middle Ages and are only performed once or twice each year. Each dance has its spirituals importance and can perform by monks or lay village leaders dressed in bright costume. Certain festivals end with unveiling and worship of huge religious appliqués or THONGDRELS. The moment of the unveiling is shrouded in secrecy and creates grate excitement amongst all the participants.

Thimphu and Paro festivals are most popular for tourists as they are the most accessible. Visitors who come to Bhutan at other times of the year should find out if other regional DROMCHOES or TSECHUS are taking place as they can equally fascinating. The TSECHUS at Bumthang is well known for taking place almost entirely during the evening and containing exciting fire dances which are intended to help the childless women at the festival conceive during the forthcoming year.

Tentative Festival Dates for 2009

Sl. No	FESTIVAL	PLACE	DATES
1	PUNAKHA DROMCHE & TSECHU	PUNAKHA	1ST – 8TH MARCH
2	CHORTEN KORA	TRASHIYANGTSE	11TH MARCH & 26TH MARCH
3	GOMKORA	TRASHIGANG	2ND – 4TH APRIL
4	CHHUKHA TSECHU	CHHUKHA	7TH – 9TH APRIL
5	PARO TSECHU	PARO	5TH – 9TH APRIL
6	URA YAKCHOE	BUMTHANG	5TH – 9TH MAY
7	NIMALUNG TSECHU	BUMTHANG	30TH JUNE – 2ND JULY
8	KURJEY TSECHU	BUMTHANG	2ND JULY
9	WANGDUE TSECHU	WANGDUE PHODRANG	26TH – 28TH SEPTEMBER
10	TAMSHINGPHALA CHOEPA	BUMTHANG	27TH – 29TH SEPTEMBER
11	THIMPHU DRUPCHEN	THIMPHU	23RD – 27TH SEPTEMBER
12	THIMPHU TSECHU	THIMPHU	28TH – 30TH SEPTEMBER
13	TANGBI MANI	BUMTHANG	3RD – 5TH OCTOBER
14	JAMBAY LHAKHANG DRUP	BUMTHANG	2ND – 6TH NOVEMBER
15	PRAKHAR DUCHHOED	BUMTHANG	3RD – 5TH NOVEMBER
16	NALAKHAR TSECHU	BUMTHANG	2ND – 4TH DECEMBER
17	MONGAR TSECHU	MONGAR	25TH – 27TH NOVEMBER
18	PEMAGATSHEL TSECHU	PEMAGATSHEL	25TH – 27TH NOVEMBER
19	TRASHIGANG TSECHU	TRASHIGANG	26TH – 28TH NOVEMBER
20	TRONGSA TSECHU	TRONGSA	25TH – 27TH DECEMBER
21	LHUNTSE TSECHU	LHUNTSE	25TH – 27TH DECEMBER

Tentative Festival Dates for 2010

Sl. No	FESTIVAL	PLACE	DATES
1	PUNAKHA DRUBCHEN	PUNAKHA	FEB 18TH – FEB 22ND
2	PUNAKHA TSHECHU	PUNAKHA	FEB 23RD – FEB 25TH
3	CHORTEN KORA	TRASHIYANGTSE	FEB 28TH – MAR 15TH
4	GOMKORA	TRASHIGANG	MAR 23rd – MAR 25TH
5	PARO TSHECHU	PARO	MAR 26TH – MAR 30TH
6	CHUKHA TSHECHU	CHUKHA	MAR 28TH – MAR 30TH
7	URA TSHECHU	BUMTHANG	APRIL 24TH – APRIL 28TH
8	NIMALUNG TSHECHU	BUMTHANG	JUNE 19TH –JUNE 21ST
9	KURJEY TSHECHU	BUMTHANG	JUNE 21ST
10	THIMPHU DRUBCHEN	THIMPHU	SEPT 12TH – SEPT 16TH
11	WANGDI TSHECHU	WANGDUE PHODRANG	SEPT 15TH – SEPT 17TH
12	TAMSHINGPHALA CHOEPA	BUMTHANG	SEPT 16TH – SEPT 18TH
13	THIMPHU TSHECHU	THIMPHU	SEPT 17TH – SEPT 19TH
14	TANGBI MANI	BUMTHANG	SEPT 22ND – SEPT 24TH
15	JAMBAY LHAKHANG DRUP	BUMTHANG	OCT 22ND – OCT 26TH
16	PRAKHAR TSHECHU	BUMTHANG	OCT 23RD – OCT 25TH
17	MONGAR TSHECHU	MONGAR	NOV 13TH – NOV 16TH
18	PEMAGATSHEL TSHECHU	PEMAGATSHEL	NOV 13TH - NOV 16TH
19	TRASHIGANG TSHECHU	TRASHIGANG	NOV 14TH – NOV 17TH
20	NALAKHANG TSHECHU	BUMTHANG	NOV 21ST – NOV 23RD
21	TRONGSA TSHECHU	TRONGSA	DEC 15TH – DEC 17TH
22	LHUNTSE TSHECHU	LHUNTSE	DEC 15TH – DEC 17TH