Kinship

In all parts of Bhutan, one can find a very strong culture of kinship and relations. People trace their family connections for generations and even cousins removed by over five generations are considered as close relatives. This culture of kinship forms the cornerstone for Bhutan's extended family culture and a closely knit societal structure. This directly contributes to the highly vibrant social community culture of Bhutan and Bhutanese languages support this through the rich kinship terminology to describe the various relatives and relations. In many parts of Bhutan, cross cousin marriages are encouraged in order to strengthen the family fabric.