Aarobhutan ! bt

One of the most important and the popular festival in Bhutan is the Tsechu which honors the memory of Guru Padmasambhava by depicting key episodes or great deeds from his life. Tsechu usually takes place on the tenth day of the particular month in the Bhutanese calendar.
 The tradition of Bhutanese tsechu was established by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in the sixteen century and many of the dances and ceremonies performed today are attributed to him or Pema Lingpa the great treasure discoverer. The festival lasts for three to five days and is celebrated in all the major dzongs in the country at varying times of the year.  
The tsechu is a religious festival and by attending it, it is believed one gains merits. It is also a yearly social gathering where the people, dressed in all their finery, come together to rejoice.

Religious dances / Mask dances
The religious dances are called Cham and there are a large number of them. Dancers wear spectacular costumes made of yellow silk or rich brocade, often decorated with ornaments and carved bones. For certain dances they wear mask which may represent animals, fearsome deities, skulls, manifestations of Guru Rimpoche or just plain human beings. The masks are so heavy that dancers protect themselves from injury by binding their heads in strips of cloths which support the mask. The dancers then see out through the opening of the mouth.
Dances can be grouped into three broad categories: instructive or didactic dances which are dramas with a moral ( the dance of the prince and princesses, the dance of the stag and the hunting dogs, the dance of the judgment of the dead); the dance of the lord of the cremation ground, dance of the stags, the dance of the fearsome gods, the dance of the black hats, the dance of the Ging and the Tsholing, the dance of the Ging with the sticks and Ging with the swords); and the dances that proclaim the victory of Buddhism and the glory of Guru Rimpoche, the dance of the Heroes, the dance of Celestial Beings, the dance of the Eight Menifestation of Guru Rimpoche).

Festivals known as the "Tsechu" are religious festivals which are festivals in honour of Guru Rinpoche, the eight century saint commemorating his great deeds. These great deeds are all believed to have taken place on the tenth of the month, which is the meaning of the word “Tsechu”. Tsechus are celebrated for several days, between three and five days and are the occasion for dances that are clearly defined in religious content. For the Bhutanese, religious festivals offer an opportunity to become immersed in the meaning of their religion and to gain much merits.
They are also the occasion for seeing people and for being seen and social exchanges. People bring out their finest clothes and has an atmosphere of convivial, slightly ribald good humour prevails. It is also a great opportunity for the visitor to interact with the local people and witness the mask dances, folk songs and be with the Bhutanese.