FESTIVALS AND FESTIVAL ETIQUETTE
Festivals:At various times throughout the year,
annual festivals known as tsechustake place around the country,
but there are other festivals too. Tsechus
are festivals extolling the great deeds of the Buddhist Saint, Padmasambhava,
popularly known as Guru Rinpochein our mountain kingdom. All of
Guru Rinpoche's great deeds are believed to have taken place on
the 10th day of the month, which is the meaning of the word tsechu,
and all tsechus do in fact take place/begin on 10th days. All the
districts, dzongs and a large number of villages in the east, hold
annual tsechus, which attract people from far and wide. Tsechus are celebrated for several
days (usually between three and five, depending on where taking
place) and are the occasion for dances that are clearly defined
in religious content. They can be performed by monks, laymen or
gomchens and the repertory is more or less the same everywhere.
Certain tsechus end with the veneration
of a huge appliqu thangkha, called a "thongdroel". The thongdroel
is unveiled at dawn to bring enlightenment to all who view it. Festival
goers believe that by simply viewing this thongdroel, they can be
delivered from the cycle of birth and rebirth, which is the ultimate
aim of Buddhism.
Some tsechus also have a "wang",
a collective verbal blessing given by a high lama. Colored threads
are distributed, and people tie them around their necks as witness
to the blessing. Sometimes the wang is called "mewang" meaning "blessing
by fire" which burns away their impurities.
Atsaras are clowns whose expressive
masks and postures are an indispensable element in any religious
festival. They confront the monks, toss out salacious jokes, and
distract the crowd with their antics when the religious dances begin
to grow tedious. Believed to represent Acharyas, religious masters
of India, they are the only people permitted to mock religion in
a society where sacred matters are treated with the highest respect.
For a few days these popular entertainers are allowed the freedom
to express a formulaic challenge within an established framework
that does not, however, upset the social and religious order.
Some religious festivals include
only a few dances and consist mostly of readings from a particular
text. On these occasions, villagers assemble in a temple and participate
in the prayers while at the same time drinking strong alcoholic
beverages. Each village takes pride in its annual religious festival,
and any villagers who have gone to live in the city are expected
to come back home for it. Such villagers will themselves sponsor
a large part of the cost of mounting the festival.
For the
Bhutanese, attendance at
religious festivals
offers an opportunity to become immersed in the meaning of their
religion and to gain much merit. The festivals are also occasions
for seeing people, and for being seen, for social exchanges, and
for flaunting success. People bring out their finest clothes, their
most beautiful jewelry, and enjoy picnics with abundant alcohol
and meat. Men and women joke and flirt with one another. An atmosphere
of convivial, slightly ribald good humor prevails.
Festival Etiquette:Festivals
are religious events. The ground where they are held is purified
and consecrated by lamas, so when you are watching a festival you
are, in essence, on the perimeter of an outdoor religious ground.
The conduct of the onlooker should be governed with this in mind.
The dancers, whether monks or laymen, are in a state of meditation.
They transform themselves into the deities which they represent
on the dance ground. They generate a spiritual power, which cleanses,
purifies, enlightens and blesses the spectators.
With this in mind,
it should be clear that obtrusive, disrespectful or discourteous
behavior is out of place. The dance ground is not a place to eat,
drink or smoke, talk or laugh loudly at inappropriate times, flash
cameras or intrude on the dance space. Common courtesy should rule
one's action when photographing dances or onlookers.
Bhutan
Festivals are not pageants or entertainment events. They are
not held as tourist attractions. They are genuine manifestations
of religious traditions thousands of years old which outsiders are
given the privilege of witnessing. We would like to see that privilege
retained, without in any way impairing or infringing on the beauty
and sacredness of the ritual.
Please bear in mind
that some past actions of unthinking visitors have caused shock
and dismay to the local
people. Any recurrence of such unfortunate events may lead to
future restrictions on attendance at festivals. We hope that our
tour members will always display courtesy, sensitivity and respect
to the people of Bhutan who have welcomed them to attend these beautiful
and sacred events, and will visibly demonstrate their respect by
dressing as well as their circumstances permit on such occasions.
Access
Bhutan Tours & Treks
(Bhutan
Tour & Travel Company)
P.O
Box 993 Yangchenphug, Thimphu, Kingdom of Bhutan
Tel::
+975-17110720, 17140616 & 17111489::Fax::+975-2-321263 Email::accessbhutan@gmail.com
& bhutantript1@gmail.com
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