The word ‘festival’ is a western simplification of what these religious gatherings mean to the devotees, The Bhutanese term for these festivals is tsechu, for the dances cham. Tsechu means tenth day in Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan. Every tenth day of the month is considered a prosperous day and most festivals in Bhutan are held on this day. The most important historical figure honored on the tsechus is Guru Rimpoche (or Padmasambhava), a Buddhist apostle who spread Buddhism in the Himalayas in the eighth century.

It is a special experience in itself to attend the mask dances, but even more so to see how the Bhutanese people stick to their religion and culture and derive a lot of happiness from it.

Below you find some of the most colorful and interesting festivals in Bhutan that take place in the spring of 2022. Especially the ones called Thongdrol are worthwhile, as this indicates the unrolling of a giant thanka, which happens only once in every 12 years. Not only will this attract more Bhutanese than usual, it is also considered very auspicious to attend such an occasion.

Further below on this page you find a list of all the festivals of Bhutan in 2022. In case any of those fits your intended travel dates, please drop us a line so we can design your festival tour around it.