When it happens
Chhukha Tshechu is an autumn festival held over three days.
Where it happens
The festival is held on the ground below Chhukha Dzong in Tsimasham. The dzong’s official name is Ngoedrup-Tse Dzong, and it is the administrative and monastic centre of Chhukha district. It covers about 9.8 acres and is one of the country’s newer dzongs.
The dzong stands in the subtropical forests of southwestern Bhutan, in the valley of the Wang Chhu, the river that Chhukha’s hydropower plant harnesses.
History
Chhukha Tshechu was instituted in 1988 and is performed each year as an offering to Guru Rinpoche.
Construction of the present dzong began in 2002 and resumed in 2006 after delays. The dzong was consecrated on 9 March 2012, so the festival is older than the building that now hosts it. Her Majesty the Queen graced the inauguration, and the Je Khenpo (Bhutan’s chief abbot) presided over it.
Dances and rituals
The cham (sacred masked dances) performed at the festival include the Shinje Pho Mo Cham, Nyilima Cham, Juging and Driging Cham, performed alongside regional folk songs and dances.
The festival’s highlight is the unfurling of the Guru Thongdrel at the dzong.
Being there
Its audience is usually largely local and devotional, and the festival is usually smaller and less crowded than Thimphu Tshechu or Paro Tshechu.
Chhukha lies directly on the Thimphu–Phuentsholing national highway, so the festival is usually easy to combine with travel between the border town of Phuentsholing and Thimphu or Paro.