Thimphu Tsechu26 September, 2009 - Autumn is not only the time ‘to reap gold by the handful,’ it is also the season of celebration and spirituality, as people in western Bhutan come together to honour Guru Rimpoche, the saint who brought Buddhism to Bhutan in the seventh century.

The honouring is done through tshechus - literally meaning the 10th day of the month - a major festival, which in the past provided a welcome break from farm work for a largely agrarian society and an opportunity to socialise and receive blessings.

Over the next few days, men, women, and children in Thimphu valley will go to worship and relax in social festivity, starting with the three-day Thimphu tshechu, which begins Monday. “Although the mood is one of celebration, the significance of tshechus is deeply spiritual,” said the central monk body’s (zhung dratsang) yangpoi lopon.

“It’s a time to honour the great saint Guru Rimpoche, who came to represent the three Buddhas, the past, present and future Buddha,” said lopon Chimi. “Days and nights of prayers and rituals are conducted to invoke the gods before the tshechu is presented to the masses. Therefore, the mask dances carry immense blessings.” Lopon Chimi said that each dance has different meanings and interpretations and knowing them would bring better merits.

The lopon said that, when the fourth Desi, Gyelsi Tenzin Rabgye, initiated the Thimphu tshechu in 1867, only a few dances were performed and that too strictly by monks. These were the Zhana chham and the Zhana Nga chham (dances of the 21 black hats), Durdag (dance of the lords of the cremation ground), and the Tungam chham (dance of the terrifying deities).

People should attend tshechus because the whole atmosphere is of purification and expiation, said Lopon Chimi. For instance the Zhana chham purifies the land from defilement and subdues and liberates beings so that those attending tshechus are in a sanctified land. “Attending a tshechu means gaining merit,” he said. “One will be relieved from sins and be blessed.”

Others say that attending a tshechu is like going on a pilgrimage. “There has to be devotion. It isn’t like going to a drama,” said a former national language teacher.

Thimphu tshechu underwent a change in the 1950s, when the third Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, introduced numerous Boed chhams (performed by lay monks). “The additions has added colour without compromising the spiritual significance,” said lopon Chimi. “Today, mask dances like the Guru Tshengye (eight manifestations of Guru), Shaw shachi (dance of the stags) are enjoyed because they are like stage theatre. But the religious purpose is served.”

Tshechus had also served as a mass media in the past to educate the people, according to the principal of royal academy of performing arts (RAPA), rabjam Rinzin Penjore. “It was through the mask dances and the play-like performances that people were taught about life after death, for instance,” he said. “Some dances, like the stag dance, are a reminder that even the greatest sinner can be forgiven and set to the right path.” The stage dance is about a hunter (sinner), who was forgiven by the great saint, Lam Jetsun Milerapa.

Rinzin Penjore said that every mask dance at the tshechu has important religious significance and should be revered. “If you have the devotion, it’s like envisioning Guru himself while witnessing the Guru Tshengay, for instance.”

Equally important are the Atsaras, who are more than just mere clowns. The Atsaras are the dupthobs (acharyas), who provide protection. The dances and the jesting of the Atsaras are believed to have entranced the evil forces and prevented them from causing harm during tshechus. “An ordinary man can’t perform the Atsara’s role. He has to master the mask dances to qualify, because he’ll have to guide the mask dancers,” said the RAPA principal, who will field a team of Atsaras for the Thimphu tshechu.

Modern Atsaras also perform shorts skits to disseminate health and social awareness messages. “Most of the spectators are illiterate and tshechus provide a perfect platform to disseminate messages on emerging social issues,” said the principal.

Elders witnessing the Thimphu Dromchoe said that tshechus cannot be missed. “The mask dances remind us that we are mortals and should prepare for death,” said Chaythey, an 80-year-old farmer from Shengana. “The dance of the lord of judgment subtly reminds us what we will go through,” he said. “It’s therefore, important to be able to identify the masks because they’ll appear in real when you’re in the court of the lord of the dead.”

To farmers, the tshechu is also seen as a break from the drudgery of farm life. “It’s an occasion to enjoy, get blessed and pray for health and happiness,” said Namgay, a villager elder in Thimphu valley.