The 5th Royal Highland Festival in Laya, Gasa has come to end. Thousands of people took part in the two-day event that concluded today. The festival also provided the opportunity for highlanders from different communities to showcase their different culture and products. People of the highland communities from ten districts took part in the festival.
Visitors at the Royal Highland Festival were able to get a glimpse of the unique dresses, local customs and products of the highland communities.
For some visitors like Sakteng Gup Tshewang Tshering from Trashigang, it was their first time at the festival. He says he enjoyed sharing his experiences and his culture with others at the event.
But apart from representing his gewog and showcasing the local products, he says he wanted to learn about the preparation works as his gewog is also planning to host a similar event soon.
“I came here to see the dealings of people and the preparation works of such a big event. This is mainly to get experience myself so that I can do such preparation work successfully while celebrating such a big event in my Gewog next year. Therefore, I felt I am extremely fortunate and happy to get this opportunity to part in such a big event,” said Sakteng Gup, Tshewang Tshering.
Some say the sharing of cultures and traditions has also allowed them to discover hidden economic opportunities for the local people.
“I found that people of Laya mostly need bags and ropes made of yak hairs for their horses which Layaps don’t have today. I realized that we can make these things at our place and sell it to them in future,” said Tshering Norbu.
“Previously, I didn’t see many highlanders taking that much interest in herding yaks. However, after the introduction of the Royal Highland Festival, I found the culture of herding yaks and the living standard in the communities have improved,” said Dawa Tshering, Saephu Gup.
The event also saw many items on display including local products as well as new creations such as the BLDC’s egg powder.
“It is exceptionally portable as there is no risk of breaking while transporting. This is the main reason for producing egg powder. Otherwise, if we bring one tray of eggs which contains 30 numbers, there is a chance of breaking almost half of the eggs on the way while transporting,” said Pema Khandu, marketing officer of Bhutan Livestock Development Corporation.
Various cultural activities such as the Yak-chham of Sakteng, traditional horse races and the display of decorated yaks and horses of the different highland communities were also held at the event.
The first Royal Highland Festival was initiated by His Majesty The King in 2016, as an annual event celebrating and showcasing the unique highland culture and beauty.
Changa Dorji, Gasa
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
