Punakha Dromchoe & Tshechu
Six days at the great dzong — a battle re enacted, then the masks take the courtyard.
The Dromchoe re enacts the seventeenth century defence of the valley, pazaps in battle dress swarming the dzong; the Tshechu follows straight after, masked dances in the warmest courtyard in the kingdom.
Punakha holds its two great gatherings back to back at the end of winter, when the valley is mild and the jacaranda has not yet come. The Dromchoe is unique in Bhutan — hundreds of local men in the dress of seventeenth century militia re enact the campaign that turned back invasion, ending with a procession to the river. The Tshechu follows without pause, three days of cham in the courtyard between the two rivers.
Because the festival falls outside the main tourist seasons, the courtyards belong largely to the valley itself — farmers, monks, families in their best kira and gho. For guests who want a great festival without the spring crowds of Paro, this is the one we recommend first.
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