Go on Matsutake-harvesting excursions (Matsutake mushrooms are native to Ura valley in Bumthang and the best quality mushrooms are exported to Japan where they are in high demand) and enjoy the local atmosphere when the festival for Bhutan’s fabled mushroom is on. Learn to make delicious Matsutake dishes and also indulge in mineral baths. Enjoy the hospitality of the locals and traditional Bhutanese life in its purest form. This festival is scheduled for the 4th weekend of August.
Ura Yakchoe Festival
Posted on August 23, 2013 ·
Held every May in Ura Valley, Bumthang, the festival is famous for the Ura Yakchoe dance. During the festival, a sacred relic is displayed and attendees receive blessings from it.
Legend has it that a monk asking for a drink of water visited an old woman. When she came out of her house with the water, the monk had vanished leaving behind a bag in which she found the statue that is now displayed annually. The relic, which has been passed on from generation to generation, is still owned by the woman’s descendants.
Nomad Festival
Posted on August 23, 2013 ·
Experience the richness and variety of nomadic culture in the spiritual heartland of the country – Bumthang. Try on the Brokpa attire, hitch yourself on a yak-ride or try the various culinary delights of the highlanders. Visit holy shrines and witness ancient nomadic techniques like the grinding of maize using millstones and tilling of land with ploughs.
Nimalung Tsechu Festival
Posted on August 23, 2013 ·
A 15-minute drive from the road point that branches off from Chumey, Dasho Gonpo Dorji and Doring Trulku Jamyang Kunzang founded the lhakhang in 1935. The two-storied temple houses a magnificent statue of Guru Rinpoche.
The local Tsechu is held once a year in the 5th month of the Bhutanese calendar. During the Tsechu a Thongdrol (gigantic scroll painting) of Guru Rinpoche, 9 meters long and 12 meters wide is unfurled.
