Paro Tsechu

Overview

The Paro Tsechu has been held annually since the 17th century and is widely regarded as the most spectacular festival in Bhutan. For five days, monks and lay dancers in silk brocade costumes and wooden masks perform sacred Cham dances in the dzong courtyard, each scene tied to the stories of Guru Rinpoche subduing evil and spreading the dharma. Bhutanese from across the country arrive in their finest traditional dress, creating a sea of colour against Paro Dzong's whitewashed walls. The climax comes at dawn on the final day with the unveiling of the Thongdrel — the giant sacred tapestry said to confer liberation by the mere sight of it. Accommodation books up months in advance.