Third Day of the Teschu - Dance of the Eight Manifestations of Guru Rinpoche & The Dance of the Heroes

It was the third day of Thimpu's Teschu Festival.

I needed help to get into my long traditional Kira.  Two young women from the Terma Linca hotel came to our room to dress me.  It's all one piece of fabric wrapped around the body in clever ways, held onto the shoulders by two decorative silver and gold pins.  The jacket covers the pins in the photo above.  The elaborately embroidered sashes are worn only for the festival and they honor and respect the traditional gods.  The sashes must be worn on the left side.  This Kira fabric took Sonam, the weaver, three years to make. It's silk and cotton. The pattern incorporates the Endless Knot.  Bhutan is known for it's beautiful textiles.

Below are fabrics that are available to purchase and sew into beautiful traditional skirts. 

These are made of cotton and silk.

The hilarious Teschu clown greeted Stephanie and I that morning.  

  If you're interested in costume, weaving, or cloth,  double click on this photo to see the amazing weaving done on the Kira cloth.


Below is a video of the Men's Welcome Dance.  So pleasant to watch.
The men do all the dancing at these festivals.
I recommend clicking the box on the lower right to view these videos full screen.

And then, the Women come out and sing a traditional folk song.

They have the most beautiful Kira's (Traditional Women's Dress).  

Their hand movements coordinate in tandem with irregular patterns with their feet.

Below is a video of the dance of The Eight Manifestations of Guru Rinpoche.  

The eight manifestations are different forms of Guru Rinpoche, who is accompanied by his consorts, Yeshe Tshogyel and Mandarava.  This is both a dance and a drama and starts with Dorji Drolo, wearing a terrifying red mask, entering the dance area followed by a long procession with the eight manifestations.1

Here's a short video of the Manifestation's diagonal exit 

This last and most exciting dance we saw was the 

Dance of the Heros.  

This energetic dance based on a vision by Pema Linga is thought to lead believers directly to the presence of Guru Rinpoche.  The dancers wear yellow skirts and golden crowns but do not wear masks.  They carry a drilbu (small bell) and a damaru (small drum).2 

Watch how the dancers jump up and bring their knees to their foreheads.  This is done on a stone surface and the dance lasts, as almost of them do, forty-five minutes! 

Here's a clip of the Hero's Dance Finale

The incredible colors of the Butanese costumes

*1,2 Descriptions from the Lonely Planet Book.