Tshechu

Left: Dance of the Black Hats with Drums. Right: Paro Tsechu festival of dances

Tshechu (Dzongkha: ཚེས་བཅུ།, literally "day ten") are annual religious Bhutanese festivals held in each district or dzongkhag of Bhutan on the tenth day of a month of the lunar Tibetan calendar. The month depends on the place. Tshechus are religious festivals of the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Tshechus are large social gatherings, which perform the function of social bonding among people of remote and spread-out villages. Large markets also congregate at the fair locations, leading to brisk commerce.[1] The Thimphu tshechu and tha Paro tshechu are among the biggest of the tshechus in terms of participation and audience.

Tshechu traditions

The focal point of the tshechus are Cham dances, which are banned in the Tibetan regions occupied by China such as the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region.[2] These costumed, masked dances typically are moral vignettes, or based on incidents from the life of the 9th century Nyingma teacher Padmasambhava and other saints.[1]

Most tshechus also feature the unfurling of a thongdrel - a large appliqué thangka typically depicting a seated Padmasambhava surrounded by holy beings, the mere viewing of which is said to cleanse the viewer of sin. The thongdrel is raised before dawn and rolled down by morning.

Because tshechus depend on the availability of masked dancers, registered dancers are subject to fine if they refuse to perform during festivals.[3]

History of Tshechus

Masked dancers at the Wangdue Phodrang tshechu

Padmasambhava, the great scholar, visited Tibet and Bhutan in the 8th century and 9th century. He used to convert opponents of Buddhism by performing rites, reciting mantras and finally performing a dance of subjugation to conquer local spirits and gods. He visited Bhutan to aid the dying king Sindhu Raja. Padmasambhava performed a series of such dances in the Bumthang Valley to restore the health of the king. The grateful king helped spread Buddhism in Bhutan. Padmasambhava organized the first tshechu in Bumthang, where the eight manifestations of Padmasambhava were presented through eight forms of dances. These became the Cham dances depicting the glory of Padmasambhava.

Schedule

Thongdrel unfolded at the Gomkora Tshechu 2013

The dance schedule for each day of the four-day festival is set out and generally consists of the following dances.

The last day of the four-day festival also marks the unfurling of the Thongdrel, a very large scroll painting or thangka, which is unfurled with intense religious fervour, early in the morning. This painting measuring 30 metres (98 ft)×45 metres (148 ft) has the images of Padmasambhava at the centre flanked by his two consorts and also his eight incarnations. Devotees who gather to witness this occasion offer obeisance in front of the Thongdrel seeking blessings. Folk dances are performed on the occasion. Before sunrise, the painting is rolled up and kept in the Dzong before it is displayed again one year later.[4]

List of tshechus

Below is a list of major tshechus in Bhutan, along with their 2011 dates. Dates in other years will vary.

Bhutan tshechu dates (2011)[5]
Date Tsechu Location
January 2–04 Trongsa Tshechu Trongsa
January 2–04 Lhuntse Tshechu Lhuntse
January 2–04 Pemagatshel Tshechu Pemagatshel
January 9 Shingkhar Metochodpa Bumthang
January 9–13 Nabji Lhakhang Drup Trongsa
February 10–15 Punakha Dromache & Tshechu Punakha
February 17–21 Tangsibi Mani Bumthang
February 18 Chorten Kora Trashiyangtse
February 18 Tharpaling Thongdrol Bumthang
February 19–21 Buli Mani Chumey Bumthang
February–March
(1st month, 7th day) 		Trashiyangtse Tsechu Trashiyangtse
March 4 Chorten Kora (2nd) Trashiyangtse
March 13–15 Gomkora Trashigang
March 13–15 Talo Tshechu Talo, Punakha
March 13–16 Zhemgang Tshechu Zhemgang
March 15–19 Paro Tshechu Paro
March 17–19 Chhukha Tshechu Chukha
April 1–03 Gaden Chodpa Ura, Bumthang
May 12–14 Domkhar Festival Chhume, Bumthang
May 14–18 Ura Yakchoe Ura, Bumthang
June 19–21 Padsel–Ling Kuchod Bumthang
June Laya Bumkhosa Festival (Bongkor) Laya
July 8–10 Nimalung Tshechu Bumthang
July 9–10
does not move 		Alpine Ha, Haa
July 10 Kurjey Tshechu Bumthang
July 29 Gangte Kurim Gangte, Wangdue Phodrang
October 1–05 Thimphu Drupchen Thimphu
October 4–06 Wangdue Tshechu Wangdue Phodrang
October 4–06 Gangte Drubchen & Tshechu Gangte, Wangdue Phodrang
October 6–08 Tamshingphala Choepa Bumthang
October 6–08 Gasa Tshechu District Gasa
October 6–08 Thimphu Tshechu Thimphu
October 10–12 Thangbi Mani Bumthang
November 1–05 Shingkhar Rabney Ura, Bumthang
November 3–06 Jakar Tshechu Jakar, Bumthang
November 10–14 Jambay Lakhang Drup Bumthang
November 11–13 Prakhar Duchoed Bumthang
November 12
does not move 		Black Necked Crane Festival Gangte, Wangdue Phodrang
November 22–25 Sumdrang Kangsol Ura, Bumthang
December 2–05 Trashigang Tshechu Trashigang
December 2–05 Mongar Tshechu Mongar
December 3–04 Tang Namkha Rabney Tang Bumthang
December 10 Singye Cham, Jambay Lhakhang Bumthang
December 10–12 Nalakhar Tshechu Bumthang
December 10–13 Chojam Rabney Tang Bumthang

In popular culture

The Bhutanese film Travellers and Magicians is set among a group of travellers, most of whom are going to the Thimphu tshechu.

References

  1. 1 2 Dancing on the demon's back: the dramnyen dance and song of Bhutan, by Elaine Dobson, John Blacking Symposium: Music Culture and Society, Callaway Centre, University of Western Australia, July 2003
  2. ↑ Brockman, Norbert C. (2011). Encyclopedia of Sacred Places (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. p. 565. ISBN 9781598846553.
  3. ↑ Namgyal, Gembo (2010-10-28). "Reluctant Mask Dancers". Bhutan Observer online. Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  4. ↑ Palin, pp. 269–270
  5. ↑ "Festival Dates". Windhorse Tours, Treks & Expeditions online. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
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