A guide to Bhutanese culture and shopping

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6 Comments
Colours, handicraft, happiness and a whiff of spirituality would be words to describe my cultural journey in Bhutan.


I am welcomed to the Bhutanese culture at our hotel with a performance of Thuenpa Puenzhi. This is popularly known as the Four Friend Mask Dance. It symbolises unity, co-operation and harmony.









Drametse Ngacham and Yak Chham are two other enticing and foot-tapping mask dances with bold, rhythmic moves.



Some of the following performances with mellifluous music and honeyed swaying are Dramnyen (dance with instrumental music),  Zhungdra (oldest traditional dance) and Gelyong Gaki Zadbra (a folk dance representing happiness of the king and kingdom). By the end of it I am totally in sync with the euphonious music and with steady footwork I join the grand finale named Tashi Tashi. This Bhutanese folk dance is performed at the culmination of every cultural event. Here the audience hold hands with the performer to dance and soak in the flavour of traditional rhythm.






Shopping pattern in Bhutan has a strong focus on handicrafts and colourful trinkets. Whether it is street shopping at tourist spots or shopping at the Paro mall road, the shops are cosy, comfortable with smiling faces who are ever ready to help. I did notice that the tourist street shopping stalls did sell the trinkets at a better bargain than the established shops. Souvenirs and beaded jewellery start from a range of Rs 250 to over a couple of thousands. One would require a sharp eye to differentiate between run of the mill products and true Bhutanese handiwork.











In Bhutan you can shop for colorful masks, hand-woven bamboo items, wood carvings, stamps, silver, silk and bronze. Handmade paper products, Buddhist paintings and religious thankas are also popular shopping items. Weavers are seen in almost every house doing beautiful handwork. Original Bhutanese handweaving is expensive but totally worth it if the wallet allows. I must confess that most of my souvenir shopping has been through my camera lens and it has genuinely been a fulfilling experience. 




About Post Author

Architect, Photographer, Bookworm.
Lifestyle and Design Hunter. In search of Pattern in Chaos.

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6 comments:

  1. Unknown29 November 2015 at 10:27

    Reading this blog has been quite similar to your faithful admission that most of your Souvenir shopping has been through your camera lens as because one can relish the cultural heritage of Bhutan and its various dance forms as also the plethora of traditional handicrafts simply through the mesmerizing flow of words and pictures. Each photograph spells a riot of colours and perfect composition that lures the readers to get hypnotised by the fiesta of all the gaiety and glory of a paradise on earth better known as Bhutan.

    ReplyDelete
  2. R30 November 2015 at 07:12

    Beautiful !

    ReplyDelete
  3. R30 November 2015 at 07:12

    Beautiful !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Suhas Khandke30 November 2015 at 18:56

    Wow! This is so enriching.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown2 December 2015 at 22:11

    Very colourful and enriching!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Unknown2 December 2015 at 22:12

    Very colourful and enriching!

    ReplyDelete

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In search of Pattern in Chaos.
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