Paro Tsechu

Paro Tsechu

Early spring on a date set by the lamas, or 10th-15th days of second lunar month

One of the most popular festivals of Bhutan, a principality northeast of India in the Himalayas, is held in the town of Paro. ( Tsechus means "tenth day" and relates to the birth of the Buddha. It is used as "festival" is used in English.)
The Paro festival is held over five days to commemorate the life and deeds of Padmasambhava see also Mystery Play of (Tibet)]. Known in Bhutan as Guru Rinpoche, he was a mystic who lived in the eighth century and brought Buddhism to Bhutan from Tibet.
The purpose of this festival is to exorcize evil influences and to ensure good fortune in the coming year. The highlight of Paro events comes before dawn on the last day when a huge appliqued scroll known as the Thongdrel is unfurled from the top of the wall of the Dzong (the monastery and district center). It is displayed to onlookers in the courtyard until just before the first rays of the sun touch it. The Thongdrel is said to have the power to confer blessings and provide respite from the cycle of existence. It is a type of thangka (a religious scroll of any size) and is so big that it covers the three-story wall of the Dzong, and it depicts the life of the Guru Rinpoche, his various peaceful manifestations, and his consorts.
Dressed in their best clothes, people bring dried yak meat and churra, a puffed rice dish, to the Dzong and watch masked dancers. A series of dances, called cham, are performed for the festival. One of these, the Black Hat Dance, tells of the victory over a Tibetan king who tried to wipe out Buddhism; those who watch the dance are supposed to receive great spiritual blessings. The Dance of the Four Stags commemorates the vanquishing of the god of the wind by Guru Rinpoche. The god rode on a stag, and the guru commandeered the stag as his own mount. Another dance, the Deer Dance, tells the story of Guru Rinpoche teaching Buddhism while traveling through the country on the back of a deer. The dances are performed by monks who play the roles of deities, heroes, and animals dressed in brilliantly colored silks and brocades. They wear carved wooden or papier mâchÉ masks symbolizing the figure they portray.
The dances are accompanied by the music of drums, bells, gongs, conch-shell trumpets, and horns. Some horns are so long that they touch the ground.
Other activities include folk dancing and singing and lewd performances by clowns called atsaras . Many of the dances and performances are typical of Tibetan Buddhist traditions also observed in Tibet and the Ladakh area of India.

CONTACTS:
Far Fung Places L.L.C.
1914 Fell St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
415-386-8306; fax: 415-386-8104
www.farfungplaces.com
www.kingdomofbhutan.com

SOURCES:
BkHolWrld-1986, Apr 20
HolSymbols-2009, p. 692