Sacred Dance

Bhutan has a rich tradition of cham dances, most of which are performed with masks. The masks and dances mostly depict Buddhist deities and their divine gestures activities. While most represent the enlightened spirits, some cham dances are enactments of great religious events in the past. Some dances are performances with a moral or spiritual message. The dances are accompanied by music and the dancers normally wear silk costumes. Most Bhutanese festival programmes include a long list of cham dances and some village festivals have unique cham dances.