There are numerous festivals celebrated in Bhutan-both secular and religious ones.The most popular religious festival is the Tsechu which honours the memory of Guru Padmasambhava( lotus born precious master and the one who bought Buddhism to Bhutan in the 8th century) by depicting key episodes or great deeds from his life.The Tsechu usually take place on the tenth day of the particular month in the Bhutanese calendar.The festival lasts between three to four days and is celebrated in all most  all the major Dzongs(fortress) at varying times of the year.The religious dances are called Chhams and are performed by monks as well as lay people.The dances invoke the deities to wipe out misfortunes,increase luck and grant personal wishes.Chhams are the core event of monastic festivals and it is inevitably the depiction of the triumph of good forces over evil.Every chham has its own conncetion with the Buddhist religion.An auspicious event of the many Tsechu is the unfurling of a huge embroidered thangkha depicting Guru Padmasambhava and his eight manifestations and at some Tsechu the great treasure discoverer Pema Lingpa depicts the thangkha. Such a thangkha which is worshipped is known as Thongdrel  which means liberation on sight and it is belived that simply by viewing it a person gains merit and some are delivered from the cycle of reincarnation or their sins of this lifetime are washed away. At some Tsechu there is the custom of wang which means a collective verbal blessing given by a high priest known as Rinpoche or Lama.Besides the chham there is also a traditional Bhutanese dances being performed by women and men in gergeous traditionbal attire.On lookers rarely fail to notice the Atsaras( Clown) who move through the crowds mimicking the dancers and performing comic gestures in their mask with long red noses.

For those traveler who wish to visit festival in the Himalayas,the month of September,October and November offers some of the popular festivals held in the country/These are:

* Thimphu Tsechu: ( 28th-30th Sept.)

*Tamshing Phala Choepa:( Date same as Thimphu)

* Thangbi Mani:( 3rd-5th Oct.)

* Jakar Dzong Tsechu:( 26th-29th Oct.)

* Trashigang Tsechu:( 26th-28th Nov.)

And apart from Tsechus,a smaller community based folk festivals exist that are often more interesting as visitors get close and better perspective  of a local festival which provides fascinating insight into local beliefs.

Our recommendation is that,since these months are at high demand in booking the air ticket and reserving hotel,we request all our clients to make your inquiries at the earliest possible.

If you haven't been to a Tsechu,plan your trip so that we can include some festivals in your itinerary to create a trip you will never forget in your lifetime with your travel company, Bhutan Dukar Tours and Travels Family.