Paro, spring
Each spring the Paro valley gathers below Rinpung Dzong for five days of masked dances. The festival's most important hour comes before dawn on the last day, and it is over by sunrise.
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18 to 22 March 2027
The festival runs from the 11th to the 15th day of the second Bhutanese month, so it lands in March or early April. In 2026 it ran 29 March to 2 April; for 2027 it is listed for 18 to 22 March, still to be confirmed by the Paro Dzongkhag.
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The Deyangkha ground
After its opening day inside the dzong, the festival moves to the Deyangkha ground below it. Dancers turn in heavy brocade to cymbals, drums and long horns, while the crowd eats, talks and watches all at once.
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The fourth day
The fourth day usually brings the Raksha Mangcham, in which the Lord of Death hears the case of each soul, and the Dance of the Four Stags. Between dances the atsaras, red-faced clowns, work the crowd; their name comes from acharya, teacher.
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The last morning
Monks carry a rolled cloth from Rinpung Dzong and raise it up a wall three stories high: the Guru Tshengye thongdrel, Guru Rinpoche in his eight manifestations. Bhutanese believe that simply seeing it clears away sin.
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Before sunrise
The car leaves at 02:30 and you are on the ground by 02:45, among hundreds already waiting in the cold. No flash, and phones away while people bow. If 02:00 is too much, a second car goes at 04:15, while the cloth is still up.
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The crowd
Families come in their finest gho and kira. We do not fight the crowd: your guide goes ahead at 07:00 with cushions, a mat and umbrellas, holds a place with shade and a clear view, and we leave before the gate jams.
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Manners
Walk round behind the seated crowd, as every Bhutanese does, even when it takes ten minutes. A gho or kira fitted by a Thimphu tailor is welcomed, not required. Bring a down jacket for the 03:00 morning, the coldest hour of the trip.
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Planning
Paro's rooms and flights go first in festival week, so we ask for rooms as soon as the lunar dates are published, often 9 to 12 months ahead. Our festival journey gives the last three days to the dances.
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