His Majesty the King announced that his married to Jetsun Pema

The 7^th session of the parliament today will be remembered for a long time by the Bhutanese people. It was on this auspicious occasion that His Majesty the King announced that he would be getting married to Jetsun Pema in October this year.

Jetsun Pema was born on the 4^th of June 1990 to Dhondup Gyaltshen and Sonam Chuki. Her father is the grandson of Tashigang Dzongpon Dopola. Her mother is comes from the family of Bumthang Pangtey. Jetsun has two brothers and two sisters. She is the second eldest.

She began her schooling at Changangkha Lower Secondary School and the St. Joseph’s Convent in Kalimpong, India, and continued her studies at Lungtenzampa Middle Secondary School, the Lawrence School, and the Regents College in London, UK.

Her hobbies include the fine arts, painting, and basketball. In recent times, she accompanied His Majesty on royal tours around the country.

Speaking about the would-be-queen, His Majesty said many people will have their own expectations –that “she should be uniquely beautiful, intelligent and graceful.”

“What is most important is that at all times, as an individual she must be a good human being, and as queen, she must be unwavering in her commitment to serve the people and the country.”

His Majesty said while she is young, she is warm and kind in heart and character. “These qualities together with the wisdom that will come with age and experience will make her a great servant to the nation.”

His Majesty said the wedding will be in accordance with age-old tradition and asked the government not to make any plans for a grand celebration saying “the happiness of my beloved father and the blessings of our people will give me the greatest joy and happiness.”

Source: BBS

Raksha Marchham

This is the dance of the Judgement of the Dead is based on the Bardo Thoedrol (Book of the Dead), a text hidden by Guru Rinpochhe and rediscoverd later by torten Karma Lingpa in the fourteenth century.

News: married at a very young age - as early as 10 years old in Laya, Bhutan

Standing in front of her one-storied stone shed, Choden (name changed) feeds salt to her yaks in a far-flung grazing pasture of Laya.

Like any other 16-year-old girl, she desires to go to Laya and watch the tsechu on July 24. But, as she is pregnant and also with the responsibility of household chores falling on her, she cannot go.

Choden is one of many girls in Laya who married at a very young age - as early as 10 years old. “It’s not unusual. I married at 12 and stayed with my in-laws ever since,” said Choden. “My friend had her first child when she was 13.”

Most Layaps are aware that 18 years is the legal marriageable age for women in Bhutan, but they feel that the law may not be applicable to them, given their isolated and nomadic lifestyle, which is determined by a harsh mountain environment.

“We have a small community in a place, which is almost a three-day walk from the nearest road head, and we are guided by our own culture and customs,” said 55-year-old Damcho of Neylo village in Laya. The practice has been going on for so long that no one can remember how it all began.

Almost all marriages in Laya are arranged and parents say that it is to give security to their daughters. “Most marriages happen during the summer, when neighbours and relatives gather at a particular place to help each other collect grass for their yaks,” said the grandfather of a 15-year-old girl, Sonam. “Once arranged, the young wife stays at her husband’s place and looks after all domestic affairs.”

Marrying at a young age, however, has its downsides, admits an 18-year-old mother, who had her first child last year. “Many of us go through major complications while giving birth and we don’t have proper health facilities here,” she said. “I was referred to Thimphu for delivery.”

Sixteen-year-old Choden is also worried because the nearest basic health unit is a two-day walk from the grazing pastures she stays in.

When women in Laya see a female official visiting the place, they hope she is a nurse. Of the 888 people in Laya, 432 are female.

“It’s difficult to approach a male health worker during pregnancy and at other times to seek help on precautions,” said a 21-year-old mother of two children, Kinley.

But women in Laya feel that things will change with more young girls being sent to school. “They’ll be educated and independent,” said Pema, a mother of three girls.

Source: Kuenselonline