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 state of meditation. They
transform themselves into 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.
Festivals are not pageants or entertainment
events. They are not held as tourist attractions. They are genuine
manifestations of religious traditions thousands of year 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 the 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 permits
on such occasions.
Festivals (Tshechus)
The Tshechu is
festival honouring Guru Padsambhava – ‘one who was born from lotus flower’.
This Indian saint contributed enormously to the diffusion of Tantric
Buddhism in the Himalayan regions of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan etc. around 800
A.D. He is the founder of the Nyingmapa, the ‘old school’ of Lamaism which
still has numerous followers. The biography of Guru is highlighted by 12
episodes of the model of Buddha’s Shakyamuni’s life. Each episode is
commemorated around the year on the 10th day of the month by ‘the
tshechu’.
The dates and duration of the festivals
vary from one district to another but they always take place on or around
the 10th day of the month according to the Bhutanese calendar.
During Tshechus, the dances are
performed by monks as well as laymen. The Tshechu is a religious festival
and by attending it, it is believed one gains merit. It is also a yearly
social gathering where the people, dressed in all their finery, come
together to rejoice.
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