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The Bhutanese culture is one most
cautiously protected and well conserved cultures in the
world. The people of Bhutan realize that other than
their centuries old culture and revered values, there is
little else that is exclusive to their small and less
developed country. In a bid to prevent their ancient
customs from being influenced by the West, the Bhutanese
government has made it mandatory for all Bhutanese to
wear only their national dress in public.
All Bhutanese art-dance, drama and music-is steeped in
Buddhism. The paintings are not produced for tourists,
but for religious purposes; festivals are not quaint
revivals, but living manifestations of a national faith;
and almost all art, music and dance represents the
struggle between good and evil. These traditions can be
seen in all their glory at Bhutan 's spectacular
religious festivals called Tsechus.
The largest and most colorful festivals take place at
Bhutan's dzongs and monasteries once a year, especially
in honor of Guru Rimpoche. They are normally celebrated
in spring and autumn. Tsechus consist of up to five days
of spectacular pageantry, masked dances and religious
allegorical plays that have remained unchanged for
centuries. Besides being a vital living festival and an
important medium of Buddhist teaching, tsechus are huge
social gatherings. Bhutanese revel and exult together,
dressed in their finest clothes and jewelry, in a
welcoming ambiance where humor and devotion go hand in
hand. For guests, the tsechu provides an ideal
opportunity to appreciate the essence of the Bhutanese
character.
The Bhutanese diet is rich in meat, dairy, grain
(particularly rice) and vegetables. Emadachee, made with
green hot chilies and cheese stew, is considered the
national dish with many interpretations to this recipe
throughout the kingdom. Meat dishes, mainly pork, beef
and yak, are lavishly spiced with chilies, and it is
common to see bright red peppers drying on rooftops in
the sun. Salted butter tea, or suja, is served on all
social occasions. Though there is plenty of white rice,
Bhutanese prefer a local, slightly nutty, red variety.
At high altitudes, wheat is the staple. Several
Tibetan-style dishes are common, including momos
(dumplings), and thukpa (noodles). Pork fat is popular
in the wilds because of its high-energy content. Chang,
a local beer, and ara, a spirit distilled from rice,
maize, wheat or barley, are also common and widely
favored. Doma or betel nut is offered as a customary
gesture of greeting. |
