Punakha Tsechu and Drubchen

Punakha Tsechu and Drubchen

Duration: 6 days (including programs apart from the Tsechu alone)
Highlights: Culture, people, dress, ornaments, food, mask dances, songs, photography.

Similar to other festivals, this also brings together people from far and wide to partake in what is a religious as well as social event. One of the biggest festivals in the Bhutanese calendar, it is held every year, sometime in February or March.The most important event of the five-day festival is the re-enactment of the Tibetan invasion of Bhutan in 1639. In this theatrical display, a mock throwing of a relic to the Mochu river is dramatized along with a group performance by more than a hundred people dressed as warriors.

This is connected to 17^th century Bhutan, when the Bhutanese were under siege by Tibetan forces. Without an army of its own, the duty to hold the Fort fell on the local militiamen called “Pazaps”, from the eight great villages (Tshogchens) of Thimphu. The invaders were routed.To celebrate the victory, Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal introduced the Punakha Drubchen. The 17^th century scene is re-enacted during the Drubchen with local men dressed as “Pazaps”.The Festival with Women tour is also something that we can customize for you depending on your choice or availability. For the sake of maintaining our own specialty, the specific details are shared off- the website. Please let us know if you would want to hear anything more.