Spent most of the day at this religious festival. Villagers come from all around for this annual event. Whole families come wearing their very best clothes and jewelry. The women's native dress is a kira, which is hand woven fabric wrapped around the body to form a dress. Many of the women wear silk kiras which may have taken over a year to make and would be worth thousands of dollars. The festival is a riot of color. It is almost overwhelming to the senses. The dances act out stories about the Buddha, and other important cultural events in their history. it is believed that by watching these dances, one will be purified. Many elderly folks could be seen with their prayer beads and twirling prayer wheels in their hands. Monks participate in the dances and can be seen from the very young to the very old.
The clowns are a hoot. They wear read masks that look somewhat like a devil smiling. And they wear a penis on their head! (more on that at a later time) Brings a whole new meaning to being a dick-head. They keep the crowd entertained with their antics kind of like a sports mascot. Chasing the many roaming dogs off the performing area is one of their specialties!
Tomorrow we move on to the capital of Bhutan, Thimphu.
