Festivals play a big role in Bhutanese culture. The majority of celebrations, generally referred to as “tsechus,” are religious rituals that are mainly marked by music and masked dances called “chams.” Tsechus bring large crowds of Bhutanese people who are clad in their finest clothes as they believe that by partaking in these special celebrations, they will receive religious merit in addition to taking part in a delightful social event. For a range of reasons, the festival is celebrated across different regions of the nation. For instance, punakha celebrate Tshechu as a commemoration of the Bhutanese victories over the Tibetans in the 17th century and has a unique procession on the final day. During the festival dances and other dramas re-enact the dramatic moments when the Bhutanese people gathered to expel the Tibetan forces from the country, and also to celebrate the peace and stability this brought to the country. For Thimphu, monks perform dances wearing elaborate coloured brocade costumes and masks often re-enacting Buddhist myths and legends which are believed to ward off evil forces.
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