Festival – Confessions of a Lady Sindbad

The Thimphu Tsechu Festival, Bhutan – 12 October 2016

//Part 8 of 8 //

I’ve always longed to visit this remote kingdom, the Land of Happiness.The opportunity came to fulfill my dream : the Druk Path Trek. Before the inauguration of the asphalt road, this trail was the only route connecting the valley of Paro to the valley of Thimphu through high mountains passes including the Phume La (4210m).

After being off the radar for 5 days, after a lot of “ups and downs “ through breathtaking landscapes, lakes, mountains and valleys, we made it back to civilization as scheduled, in time for the last day of one of the biggest festivals in the country: the Thimphu Tsechu Festival.

This religious festival is held in the capital city for 3 days . Dressed in their best outfits, thousands of people gathered in the courtyard of the famous Tashichho Dzong; by attending it, they are believed to gain merits.

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We weren’t the only foreigners, we could distinguish a few other tourists equally enthralled by the colourful celebrations. It was a rainy day, however that didn’t affect the performers ( monks and commoners).

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Mask dances like the Guru Tshengye (8 manifestations of Guru Rinpoche), Shaw Shachi ( Dance of the Stags), and many more are usually performed.

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That festival was a great finale to an exciting journey in this mountainous kingdom…

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Todos Santos Cuchumatán-All Saints Day, Guatemala 1st November 2015

// Part 6 of 8 //

While all of Guatemala celebrates Dia de Todos los Santos, the small hilly town of Todos Santos Cuchumatán is known for having one of the best festivals during which local men hold wild, drunken horse races.

These races are the culmination of a week-long festivities and a mad night of dancing and libations that continue throughout the day of the race for all men, riders included…

Upon arriving to the village, we admired the costumes of the inhabitants and particularly the attires and the headdresses of the racers.

Trying to catch a good view of the races, we climbed up a grassy hill and managed to find ourselves a suitable spot on a rooftop. The track is approximately 100m long and the horses have to cross it 6 times, back and forth, a drunk rider saddled on their back.

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We left during the midday break before the races resumed. According to our guide, we shouldn’t stay until the races are over as the general excitement would have reached an unsettling level and the streets would be lined with men so drunk they can no longer stand.

The races sound like fun but each year there are many injuries, some fatal…and paradoxically that bring honor to the deceased’s family..

Peru, October 2011

//Part 5 of 8 //

In almost every single town we visited, the streets were abuzz with some kind of event.

A procession for Damas Descalzas, Arequipa – 18 October

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The 20th anniversary of the School of Civil Engineering at Universidad Andina Nestor Cáceres Velásquez, Puno – 20 October

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A night procession, Cuzco – 25 October

The School of Fine Arts at Universidad Nacional de Bellas Artes “Diego Quispe Tito” del Cusco has taken over the streets, Cusco – 28 October

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Sunday’s morning weekly parade at the Plaza di Armas, Huancayo – 30 October **

30 kms from Huancayo and about a 40 minutes drive, our afternoon visit to the Convent of Santa Rosa de Ocopa was delayed because we came across a procession we couldn’t bypass … and then the procession and our big bus were slowed down due to the closure of some roads in order not to damage the flower carpets that were laid for the occasion on the tarmac of some streets. The sand carpet in the photo was at the entrance of the Convent.

Lima – 31 October: national day of the “Canción Criolla” (Native Song) is celebrated with native waltzes, polkas, Creole music; for us it was another celebration, the last celebration but I didn’t take any photo…well, it was our last day, we arrived to the capital city towards the end of the day after a 10 hours train journey. I was tired, running out of space on my memory card, running out of time before dinner, and practically running to cross the piazza where our bus was waiting for us. All these reasons and another factor, I call it “BTFAW” – Been There For A While – having been accustomed now to all these streets happenings, we tend to get selective regarding the scenes worth shooting and so refrain from rushing with the camera at each single flash of colour or every sound of music…

Boun That Luang Festival -Vientiane, Laos 24 November 2007

// Part 4 of 8 //

It is the most important Buddhist celebration in Laos. It’s held in That Luang temple during the full moon of the twelfth month of the Buddhist calendar and gathers thousands of people from all the provinces.

The pilgrims assemble at dawn as early as 5:00 AM- to distribute alms to the hundreds of monks who converge from around the country.

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Long before reaching the temple, we had an idea of the situation inside…the crowd had taken over the street leading to the stupa and we could distinguish :

⁃ the devotees seated on plastic mats, entire families, old and young in their best attires, their offerings proudly in front of them.

⁃ the monks standing pragmatically behind the tables “entrusted “ with their offering bowls which would soon be replenished thanks to the passersby’s generosity. Some of them contained paper money, a symbol of prosperity.

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⁃ the offering stands where one has the choice to buy flowers (mostly orange), food (rice, dried fish, water bottles) and even birds which will certainly rejoice at being set free.

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With a central structure’s height of 45m, That Luang is the biggest and most famous stupa in Laos. Considered a national symbol, it was built in 1566 by the king Setthathirah and has relics of the Buddha. We got in through one of the 4 cardinal doors and tried to find a way between the faithful seated on the floor. We might’ve been the only tourists, however our presence didn’t affect the religious fervor of the moment. The seated crowd was oblivious to our presence and intent on listening to the sermon and ignoring our intrusion.

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After the speech, the monks took their places in a stationary row while the faithful started a parallel moving queue.

And this is how the offerings bought outside were moved from one row to the other one.

Following this finale, we moved outside the temple, our senses satiated by the kaleidoscope of colours, sounds and smells and eager to start the visit of the capital.

Let the Party Begin

// Part 1 of 8//

Traveling in itself is a rewarding experience, and the icing on the cake is when you witness a particular celebration during your stay. If you do your homework properly, you can time your trip according to annual happenings in your planned destination. We did it when we visited Laos 🇱🇦 for the Boum That Luang Festival, worked it out to be in a Guatemala 🇬🇹 celebrating All Saints Day and next day’s colourful Day of the Dead …and while in Bhutan 🇧🇹, we ended the Druk Path Trek with a big celebration:The Thimphu Tsechu Festival.

However, you might stumble upon such events unknowingly and that’s even better…forget the anticipatory hype and the build-ups, the surprise factor doubles the pleasure and is truly the cherry on top of the icing on the cake..Talking from experiences, twice in Myanmar and 5 times in Peru !!

Noviciation Ceremony known as Shinbyu, Pagan, Myanmar – 8 February 2005

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Nat Festival, Mt Popa, Myanmar – 9 February 2005

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Boun That Luang Festival,Vientiane, Laos – 24 November 2007
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