Festival Dates 2008 and 2009

We tried our best to confirm the festival schedules (dates), with Asssociation of Bhutanese Tour Operators (ABTO) and Department of Tourism. The dates of the festivals change from year to year because they are based on the lunar calendar, which itself changes every year.

Once a year a dzong or important village holds a religious festival, or tshechhu. The Tshechu is a festival honoring Guru Padma Sambhava. Villagers from the surrounding district come for several days of religious observances and visiting while making offerings to the lama or monastery. The central activity is a fixed set of religious mask dances, or cham, held in a large courtyard. Each individual dance takes up to several hours to complete and the entire set may last two to four days. Observation of the dances directly blesses the audience and also serves to transmit principles of Tantric Buddhism to the villagers. A number of the dances can be traced directly back to Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal himself, the founder of Bhutan, and have been passed down without variation since the mid-1600s.

Prior to dawn on the final day of the tshechu a huge tapestry, or thongdrel, is unfurled in the courtyard of the dzong for several hours. The mere sight of it is believed to bring spiritual liberation. The thongdrel is rolled up before the morning rays can strike it.

Tentative Festival Dates (Schedules) for 2008

Sl. # Festival Place Dates
1 Punakha Dromche Punakha Feb 11- Feb 15
2 Chorten Kora Trashiyangtse Feb 21 – Mar 7
3 Gomkora Trashigang Mar 14 – Mar 16
4 Paro Tshechu Paro Mar 17 –Mar 21
5 Chhukha Tshechu Chhukha Mar 19 – Mar 21
6 Ura Yakchoe Bumthang April 16 – April 20
7 Nimalung Tshechu Bumthang Jul 10 – Jul 12
8 Kurjey Tshechu Bumthang July 12
9 Thimphu Drupchen Thimphu Oct 4 – Oct 8
10 Wangdi Tshechu Wangdi Phodrang Oct 7 – Oct 9
11 Thimphu Tshechu Thimphu Oct 9 – Oct 11
12 Tamshingphala Choepa Bumthang Oct 8 – Oct 10
13 Tangbi Mani Bumthang Oct 13 – Oct 15
14 Jambay Lakhang Drup Bumthang Nov 12 – Nov 16
15 Prakhar Duchhoed Bumthang Nov 13 – Nov 15
16 Mongar Tshechu Mongar Dec 4 – Dec 7
17 Pemagatsel Tshechu Pemagatsel Dec 4 – Dec 7
18 Trashigang Tshechu Trashigang Dec 5 – Dec 8
19 Nalakhar Tshechu Bumthang Dec 12 – Dec 14
20 Trongsa Tshechu Trongsa Jan 5 – Jan 7 (2009)
21 Lhuntse Tshechu Lhuntse Jan 5 – Jan 7 (2009)

Download 2009 Festival Dates:

Bhutan 2009 Festival Dates