Residents of Rangzhikhar, under Samkhar Gewog in Trashigang, organise a ritual for the well-being of women, every year. Locally known as Tokari Tshechu, the ritual is organised during the night coinciding with Lord Buddha’s Parinirvana.
Laymen from the monastic institutions perform rituals to appease the local deities. The ritual lasts several hours through the night. The tradition is said to be over five-generation old.
“Lopen Khekey started the Tshechu to protect women from misfortune. He subdued all the evil spirits and constructed a chorten here,” said Rangzhikhar Tshogpa, Naku.
The highlight of the festival is the offerings people make. Villagers prepare a snack in a shape resembling a woman’s genitalia.
While the laymen perform rituals and villagers make offering, a group of men prepares to steal the snacks. While it has no specific meaning, the stealing act is just for fun.
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“Young people used to steal the Tokari Tsho using a stick. The culture is disappearing slowly but we are trying to preserve it and keep it alive as much as possible,” said a Rangzhikhar Resident, Tshering Dorji.
The villagers then, usher a descendent of Rangzhikhar Khoche or local chieftain, to a place where a tree once stood. It is believed that the Khoche family established the current Rangzhikhar village. The local chieftain is believed to have planted a tree upside down.
The ritual, although organised every year has now lost its charm, according to the villagers. The number of people attending the ritual has also decreased in recent years.
But if not organised, villagers’ fear the wrath of local deities. They believe that natural calamities will strike their village and misfortunes would befall on their women.
The ritual concludes by passing on the responsibility to organise the ritual to fellow villagers next year. A garland of snacks is present to those who will organise the ritual in the coming year. On rotational basis, 10 households take the responsibility of organising the ritual every year.
The ritual concludes at around 3am. A similar ritual for men is also organised every year, in the 10th month of the Bhutanese calendar.
