Thimphu Tsechu Day 2

Mike and Noah decide to stay home this day; the dances do get kind of long.
I’m a bit late today and am relegated to sitting on the ground in front of the
concrete benches. It’s much more crowded today; the rows on the ground
eventually become five deep. Like the day before, people come and go all day.

The first dance today is the Lords of the Cremation Grounds. Four skeletons
guard the eight cremation grounds surrounding the cosmic mandala-shaped
home of the Tantric deities.

After another folkdance, is the Dance of the Terrifying Deities. The masked
dancers represent Guru Rinpoche in his fiery thunderbolt form; they enclose
the evil spirits and kill them with daggers. Just watching this dance is
supposed to enlighten all sentient beings.

It is unseasonably hot. Most people have put their ceremonial scarves on their
heads instead of over their shoulders. Another dance begins, but the heat is
too much for me. My nose and lips had gotten sunburned the day before, so
I head home about noon.

For more pictures of day 2 of the Thimphu festival, see: https://www.travellerspoint.com/gallery/users/rsherry/