Buddhist Festival
Many regions of Bhutan hold annual festivals in honor of the man who is credited with bringing Buddhism to this country, Guru Rinpoche. I timed my visit to Bhutan to coincide with two such festivals, the Jampay Lhakhang festival and the Prakar festival in Bumthang, central Bhutan. The performances were held in a community courtyard and were attended by all the local villagers. Dancers in colorful costumes and masks enacted religious traditions and stories, many of them with a good vs evil theme. The dancers embody various animals, demons, and religious dieties, and are said to bring blessings upon the spectators. You can see a brief video of one such dance at the Core of Culture web site, a U.S.-based organization dedicated to documenting and preserving ancient dance in Bhutan (and other places). |  |
An interesting component of both festivals was a masked jester, called atsara, who mingled with the audience (above) and the dancers (below), harassing the performers, making lewd gestures with the help of a wooden phallus, and cracking dirty jokes! He seemed somewhat incongruous with the sacredness of the dances, but I'm told he is an established part of the festival.
At the closing of the festival, the crowd received blessings from a Buddhist lama.
These are beautiful photos of a wonderful tradition! The next time I visit
Bhutan I must be sure to travel during the festival season.