Paro Tsechu , Bhutan

Often hailed as the most spectacular and deeply symbolic of the Buddhist festivals celebrated in Bhutan, Paro Tsechu, has a stature that has attained a cult position in the national identity of the nation. The festival is observed in three specific parts- the pre-festival rituals on the first day, ceremonies are undertaken on the second day inside the Paro Dzong and the main festivities on the festival ground on the remaining three days.

Monks and other common people perform in the festival dances and dramas as an act of meditation. Masked and dressed in elaborate silk brocade costumes, dancers depict the triumph of good over evil and the power of compassion to the haunting sounds of trumpets, cymbals and flutes that resounds the air. Devotees dressed in traditional finery flock to the Paro Dzong to seek divine blessing during these holy days.