"Royal Kiss" Royal wedding in Thimphu

The highlight of the day was rolling for television crew, who were in position at the centre of Changlimithang ground with their cameras.

While it was totally unexpected, as it was unscheduled that His Majesty would deliver an address to the nation, what followed amidst spiced up the day of celebration.

Following a brief ritual for the King and the Queen, who stood on a platform, facing an adoring crowd of the capital city that filled just about every inch of the Changlimithang stadium seats, His Majesty took a microphone, coughed into his pouch before he spoke, and addressed the nation watching live the event with rapt attention.

“To mark the occasion of my marriage with the bride, maybe I should kiss her,” the King said, smiling as he did, while the lithesome figure beside him, Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck, with her head slightly bowed, blushed and was shrinking.

As he kissed the queen on her right cheek, waves of applause echoed around the stadium, lavish clicks from digital SLRs went off and television cameras stayed steadily focused on the couple.

“Now, on the lips,” His Majesty said, with a short laugh that rippled into the faces of the crowd replete with bright silky dresses of all conceivable colours, who, as the King did act it out, roared with joy and pride.

The flags inscribed with the wedding logo planted on the walls that ran along Changlam fluttered just as vigorously, and giant balloons of various shades tethered to the poles with a congratulatory message from each of the 20 dzongkhags, swayed and bounced.

Following such an engaging gesture, His Majesty grew pensive just as soon.

Before continuing his address, the King and Queen lowered their scarves in front of the fourth Druk Gyalpo, and His Majesty expressed his gratitude, on behalf of Bhutanese across the nation, for the unprecedented peace, happiness and prosperity the nation was blessed with today.

“This morning, on behalf of the people of Bhutan, I thank His Majesty for dedicating his life to the people and the nation,” His Majesty said.

His Majesty also expressed his gratitude to the Royal Grandmother Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck, for her dedicated service to the third king, and her continuous prayers for the country’s welfare.

Calling out their names, His Majesty said the queen mothers had served his father, the fourth Druk Gyalpo, with love and affection all these years.

As has been customary with His Majesty in many of his addresses, yesterday too, the King made it a point to remind the youth of their responsibilities of taking the nation forward into the future, far more peaceful, happy and prosperous.

“I have always said that the future of our country is in your hands,” he said, adding that he married Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck, so they could together build a happier and stronger nation.

“The only desire the royal couple has is our pledge to serve our people and, together, as a family, we’ll bring up children, who are better educated and more prosperous than us,” His Majesty said.

His Majesty also thanked the national executive committee, led by the prime minister, and all other people, who took great efforts to celebrate the royal wedding.

Indian ambassador Pavan K Varma said it was a fairy tale come true and a beautifully prepared wedding.

“The ceremonies revived again the tradition and culture and the young king and queen provided a window to the future of Bhutan.” he said. “The whole thing was absolutely mesmerising.”

All these momentous events were unfolding at a place, the Chamglimithang ground, which witnessed numerous epochal moments in Bhutan’s history, those that continue to shape the moments today, which subsequently will determine those of tomorrow.

Source: Kuenselonline

Royal Weeding, in Punakha Bhutan

The Royal Wedding ceremony of His Majesty the King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck took place in the Puna Dewachen Phodrang in Punakha. Jetsun Pema was sanctified as the Queen of Kingdom of Bhutan by His Majesty the King.

The ceremony began at 4 am with the initiation of soong-chhoe prayers at the Marchen Lhakhang and Kuenra of the Punakha Dzong. His Majesty the King, escorted by the sacred retinue, arrived at the Dzong from the Royal Lingkha and lit a golden lamp and offered prayers before the Thongdroel of Zhabdrung in the first courtyard of the Dzong.

The Royal Bride was led in chhipdrel procession into the Dzong, where she lit a golden lamp before the Thongdroel, and exchanged Tashi Jel-Dhar with His Majesty the King.

The Raven Crown and the crown for the Queen of Bhutan were brought out from the Most Holy Macchen Lhakhang, along with a Golden Bumpa and the sacred five coloured dhar.

The Fourth Druk Gyalpo bestowed the sacred dhar upon the Royal Bride, sanctifying the Royal Wedding.

In the Kuenrey, The Royal Bride offered the ambrosia of eternal life, signifying her devotion to the glorious continuity of the Wangchuck Dynasty, from the Golden Bumpa, to His Majesty the King.

His Majesty then bestowed the crown of the Druk Gyal-tsuen to the Royal Bride, and Ashi Jetsun Pema, now as Druk Gyaltshuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck, ascended to the throne of the Queen of Bhutan, to the left of His Majesty the King.

The ceremony at the Kunrey ended with the offering of Tashi Nga Soel, symbolic offerings to their Majesties the Queen and King of Bhutan. His Holiness the Je Khenpo, The Fourth Druk Gyalpo, and members of the Royal Family and guests offered tashi khadar to the royal couple.

Their Majesties the King and Queen then joined the people of Punakha and guests in a public celebration outside the dzong.

His Majesty granted tokha to the people gathered at the celebration ground.

Source: BBS

3 Days to go for Bhutan Royal Weeding

It was a day off for the world yesterday, except for Punakha that was abuzz with an unusually large throng of Bhutanese from other parts of the country and tourists.

With just three days to go, the venue for the royal wedding, which covers some 100 acres, is abuzz with activities.

While locals were there to spruce up the venue for the year’s most anticipated event, a few Bhutanese from other parts of the country, and tourists were there to partake in and witness the country’s historic moment.

Potholes were patched, new gates erected, lawns mowed and trees watered. Punakha served as the capital of Bhutan from 1637 until 1907, and the first National Assembly was held here.

Among busloads of tourists were also students from some 19 schools, who had gathered at the dzong for their final cultural program rehearsals.

At the foot of the dzong, some 24 tents are already standing, stacked with cushions and chairs.

Each tent will accommodate around 40 people.

“We’re almost done with the preparations, except for some touch ups and making the gates,” Punakha dzongda Kuenzang N Tshering said. “Work on all physical structures has been completed.”

He is among some 100 people, who for the last five months have been involved in the royal wedding preparations.

“Excluding the invitees, some 10,000 Punaps are expected to attend the wedding,” he said.

Some 100 representatives from across the country will also be in Punakha to prepare the wedding feast, bringing with them their local staples.

“Each dzongkhag will prepare its own specialty,” economic affairs secretary Dasho Sonam Tshering, whose ministry is looking after the catering, said. “We’ve listed about 54 traditional items for about 1,500 people,” he said. “No imported wine or food will be served.”

Instead, besides water, drinks would comprise singchang, ara and bangchang.

The host dzongkhag will be serving ema datsi, two kinds of rice and Talo ezay (chili pickle).

Four pavilions have been built from where five dzongkhags will serve their fares.

People from some 13 dzongkhags have already arrived to prepare the feast.

Karala, 57, from Trongsa, said he and his friends would prepare ema datsi using their own flavours.

At such times, what the dzongkhag is short of is hotel rooms for guests and locals from other parts of the country to stay in.

“All guests are expected to arrange their own accommodation, because we don’t have enough hotels in Punakha,” the dzongda said.

This being a tourist season, all rooms were booked five to six months ago.

“There were just no hotel rooms when we started booking two months ago,” he said.

People from nearby dzongkhags, especially Thimphu, he said, would start early in the morning to attend the wedding, which begins at 8.30am.

Tourism Council of Bhutan website has listed four hotels in Punakha with 84 rooms.

One of the hotels, Damchen resorts said all 33 rooms are running full this whole month.

“Hotels in Wangduephodrang also have no rooms,” the dzongda said.

Arrangements have been made for those, who have to arrive early in Punakha for the wedding.

“Accommodations have been made in our offices, classrooms and halls,” he said.

Canopies and shades from bamboos and wooden benches have also been built for people.

In the last two weeks, a sawmill operator, Kinzang said he had sawn about a truckload of logs into planks for the benches.

Chairmen of the nine committees formed for the wedding, the cabinet ministers, along with the prime minister, were also in Punakha yesterday to see the preparations.

“The media committee, which will be taking care of the 150 foreign media personnel, were also here to familiarise with the area.”

With no place for cars to move around, the dzongda said he has lost almost 10kg from walking.

“My belt for the patang (sword) is big for me now,” he quipped.

Source: Kuenselonline

Thimphu Festival: Dance of Lord of Cremation Ground

To the average spectator, the Dance of the Lord of the Cremation Ground or Dhurdag chham is a skeleton at work. But this dance, with the least number of participants, four dancers, is among the deities that protect the Buddha Dharma.

They are highly regarded in tantric practices, and are the guards of the eight cremation grounds, situated on the edges of the cosmic diagram or the mandala.

According to Kinzang Dorji, who teaches mask dances at the institute of language and culture studies in Semtokha, Dhurdag is the emanation of Pelden Lhamo, the main protective deity of Bhutan. “Pelden Lhamo manifests in the form of Dhurdag, when she serves as the lord of endowments in Tantarayana,” he said.

There are two different versions of the dhurdag dance, one performed by the monks, and the other by laymen, with some difference in steps. The dancers bring a box in a cloth that is made to look like human skin, which contains a small effigy of a human being. The cloth and the box will be left behind, when the dance is completed, to be damaged by the Tungam chham dancers that would follow. “This signifies subduing the evil that harms the tantric doctrine,” said Kinzang Dorji.

Dhurdag chham performed by monks, according to the Tsugla Lopen Samten Dorji says the dance is performed only by senior monks, who have mastered all other mask dances. “Durdag is complex, because it requires some measure of understanding of tantric symbolism.”

Spectators at tshechus, while witnessing the Dhurdag dance, should visualise the surrounding as the great cremation ground, the people as the assembly of buddhas, dakis, dakinis and the lords around the cosmic world, and dhurdag dancers as the real lord of cremation grounds, said the Tsugla lopon. “It’s only then that they’ll be bestowed the endowments.”

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan Drukair will fly up to 20,000 passengers

Drukair will fly up to 20,000 passengers this month alone - a record for the airline.

The record traffic is a result not only of the peak tourist season beginning this month, but also the upcoming Royal Wedding.

As a result, Drukair has already inserted 28 additional flights, or made available 4,500 more seats, this October. Half these flights are on the Paro-Bangkok, Thailand sector. The airline has placed a second crew in Bangkok to address the record upsurge in passenger traffic.

“We’ve created more than 25 percent additional capacity for October and it’s the highest we’ve ever created,” the airline’s commercial manager, Tshering Penjor, said. He added that the airline has even had to hire temporary staff to cope with the record traffic being experienced.

On October 2, the airline flew 15 flights in and out of Paro airport, setting another record for most flights operated at the airport since its construction in the early eighties.

While some seats on incoming flights to Paro are still available, Tshering Penjor said that preferred dates might not be available. In case of medical emergencies requiring patients to be flown out, he said that Drukair would continue to prioritise such cases. “Drukair has and will continue to extend priority and do all possible, as and when an emergency arises.”

While the airline has created the additional capacity, bad weather and technical problems if encountered, could disrupt the October schedule. “We’ve kept some cushion to ensure during such unforeseen circumstances while flights may be disrupted and delayed, at no point of time, the air services will be crippled,” Tshering Penjor said. He added, “However no one can guarantee against any technical problems or weather related delays and, if we face them, obviously it’ll impact the schedules.”

A technical problem with one of its airbus jets already disrupted the schedule, when it was grounded for maintenance on Tuesday and most of Wednesday.

He also pointed out that, despite the increased frequency of flight operations, safety of passengers and aircraft maintenance would not be compromised, and would remain a priority of the airline.

Source: Kuenselonline