The festivals are one of the most joyous occasion in a Bhutanese life, we wait all year round for the Tshechu to begin, this is the time when folks dress in their finest clothes to attend them, it is also the most popular time for tourists.

The dzongs come to life with colour, music and dancing as valley dwellers and town folks join together to exercise evil spirits and rejoice in a new harvest. Rare masked and sword dances and other rituals are performed in the dzong's courtyard and temples. Tourists are allowed into the dzongs to watch the spectacle, but not the inner sanctuaries.

Photography should always be discreet. One is generally allowed to take photographs at Tshechus but not at Dromches.

Most of the dances date back from beyond the middle ages and are only performed once or twice each year. Each dance has its own spiritual importance and can be performed by monks or lay village elders dressed in bright costumes. Certain festivals end with the unveiling and worship of huge religious appliques or Thongdrels. The moment of the unveiling is shrouded in secrecy and creates great excitement among all the participants.

Thimphu and Paro festivals are the most popular for tourists as they are the most accessible. There are other regional Dromches and Tshechus around the year, taking place in different localities of the kingdom, which are equally fascinating. The Tshechus at Bumthang is well known for taking place almost entirely during the evening and containing exciting fire dances.

Festival dates for 2002:

SL#	FESTIVAL	PLACE	DATES
01	PUNAKHA DROMCHE	PUNAKHA	FEB. 17-21
02	CHORTEN KORA	TASHIYANGTSI	FEB.27 AND MAR 13
03	GOMKORA	TRASHIGANG	MARCH 22-24
04	CHHUKHA TSECHU	CHHUKHA	MARCH 22-24
05	PARO TSECHU	PARO	MARCH 24-28
06	URA TSECHU	BUMTHANG	APRIL 23-27
07	NIMALUNG TSECHU	BUMTHANG	JUNE 18 —20
08	KURJEY TSECHU	BUMTHANG	JUNE 20
09	WANGDUE TSECHU	WANGDIPHODRANG	SEPT.14-16
10	TAMSHING P. CHOEPA	BUMTHANG	SEPT. 15-17
11	THIMPHU DRUPCHEN	THIMPHU	SEPT. 11-15
12	THIMPHU TSHECHU	THIMPHU	SEPT .16-18
13	TANGBI MANI	BUMTHANG	SEPT. 20-22
14	JAMBAY LHAKHANG	BUMTHANG	OCT. 21-25
15	PAKAR TSECHU	BUMTHANG	OCT. 22-25
16	NALAKHAR TSECHU	BUMTHANG	NOV. 19-21
17	MONGAR TSECHU	MONGAR	NOV. 11-14
18	PEMAGATSEL TSECHU	PEMAGATSEL	NOV. 11-14
19	TRASHIGANG TSECHU	TRASHIGANG	NOV. 12-15
20	TRONGSA TSECHU	TRONGSA	DEC 13-15
21	LHUNTSI TSECHU	LHUNTSI	DEC.13-15