This week has been a week of celebrations in the country. This year the Lomba, New Year, and Nyilo fell sequentially on the calendar. Lomba, the annual festival celebrated by Parops and Haaps, falls on the 29th day of the 10th month in the Bhutanese calendar and is celebrated for five days.
Families got together in Geptey village and treated themselves to a good meal this Lomba. The men also played a two-day archery match.
Jou Tshering, 63, says for Parops and Haaps, Lomba is an important occasion. “In the olden days we considered the day as new year. It is also a time when all crops have been harvested and we get some free time before we begin our work again. These are the reasons we celebrate Lomba”
Jou Tshering maintains that nothing much has changed since his childhood in the manner in which Lomba is celebrated. In fact, he shares, with development; arrangements for celebrations have become even easier and grander. “When there were no motorable roads, we had to rely on our livestock for the celebrations. But, now we can get anything we want.”
Parops and Haaps living in other dzongkhags also make it a point to return home for Lomba to be with their families. The Lomba, besides being a time of celebrations, is also a time to give thanks and make offerings to local deities.
