Tsechus or festivals, are held annually in Dzongs (fortress monasteries) throughout the country. Many outstanding Buddhist saints like Guru Rinpoche in the 8th century, and Pemalingpa, Shabdrung and Dorjilingpa in the 14th to 16th centuries resorted to dances to subdue demons and evil spirits, and to overcome obstacles that were preventing the spread of Buddhism in the high himalayan valleys.

Rare spellbinding dances and rituals are performed for several days by trained monks in the Dzong’s courtyard and temples. From the roof of the Dzong, monks blow on a pair of long horns, and the sound of cymbals, drums and trumpets fill the air. These dance festivals revive the people spiritually and in many ways refine them culturally because the dances communicate moral lessons, and both the performer and the observer benefit from the exchange. The Bardo dances, the main event of the tsechu festival, serve as a reminder to Bhutanese of their future destiny depending on their past and present deeds. The dance of Noblemen and Ladies tells the story of flirting princesses who are punished for their indiscretions. The dance of the Stag enacts the tale of a hunter who was converted to Buddhism and gave up hunting. The Paro and Wangdi Tsechus end with the unveiling of a huge religious Thangkha or "Thongdrol" (meaning liberation or englightenment on sight), at which the courtyard of the Dzong fills with people well before dawn. The giant Thangkha is let down to the ground and is then ceremoniously rolled and folded away before the first rays of the sun can reach it.

Tsechus are also occasions for seeing people and for being seen. In olden times it provided the most important opportunity for unmarried men and women to find their life partners. People dress in their finest clothes and wear their most precious jewels. Men and women joke and flirt.


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