The Frenzy of Bhutan’s Ura Yakchoe Festival

Bhutan is known for its cultural festivals. The Paro Teschu, by far, is the most popular, but there are others that take place throughout the country. We timed our visit around the Ura Yakchoe festival, which can be best described as a church bazaar meets small-town fair, except everyone dresses in their finest threads.

We arrive by hiking from a pass high above the village of Ura. The hour-long descent followed a well-worn, steep path. Our guide, Chungdu, has never been to this festival before. “It’s not very well known, he says as we walk. “It’s mostly for the locals.”

He goes on to explain that the festival celebrates the local brew, which is made from various grains. On the first day of the festival, the villages consume an entire vat of the liquid and get a little crazy. The buzz had (sort of) worn of a little by day five.

Just before reaching Ura, we begin to hear drumming and people celebrating. There is a row of tents lining the entrance to the temple that have carnival-like games of chance. However, most of the action takes place in a large square at the local temple. Families sit around the perimeter to watch. Men with lips and teeth stained red from betel nut are laughing, kids are running around with whistles and toy guns and the women in front of me are partaking of whisky.

We watched a ritual being performed by a group of men wearing masks that represent various demons. The men gather around a table placed at the center of the square. On the table are several phallus statues made out of butter, a powdery substance and pots of liquid. The men dance wildly and threw the powder at each other. Then, the main figure picks up a statue and, with the other masked men, turns toward the crowd, first approaching a tall European man. The statue was held over his head, then his left and right shoulders and finally, held in front of his crotch. He wasn’t the only one to receive this treatment. Soon it was it my turn, too. I also got a dowsing of powder, although my attacker was careful not get it in my eyes.

The grand finale involved throwing the phallus statues on the roofs of buildings on each side of the square and piercing one final statue with a knife and throwing it to the ground. The local dogs found the butter to be rather tasty.

More performances took place throughout the day. Many were quite interactive. A clown-like character with a bamboo stick would run around swatting people in his way.

“It’s a blessing,” says Chungdu. I am not sure I believe him, because most people are trying to dodge the stick.

Toward the end of our visit, an entire group of young boys wearing masks, beating on drums and wielding sticks ran into the square to chase off the brightly colored dancing demons. One by one, the demons were chased away until there were none. The drummers then turned their sights on the crowd.

We took that as our cue to leave, but not before I received on last “blessing.”