A fertile and verdant ground of wits and witticisms, quips and rhapsodies, Wangduephodrang in central Bhutan is famous for Lozeys or Ornamental Speeches. Two notable lozeys are the tragic song of Gaylong Sumdar Tashi and that of Pema Tshewang Tashi , that are widely revered by the old and the young, the educated and the illiterate people alike.
The annual Wangduephodrang Tshechu was introduced by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the founder of the Bhutanese state in the 17th C. The three-day annual Tshechu is attended by people from Punakha and Thimphu and affords very favourable occasion for merrymaking and revelry.
The special attraction of the Wangdue Tshechu is the Raksha Mangcham or the Dance of the Ox. The festival concludes with the unfurling of the Guru Tshengye Thongdrol, where people throng to receive blessings.
Until 2012, the venue of the 5 day festivities was the strategically located Wangduephodrang Dzong, which was unfortunately burnt to the ground by a tragic fire. Temporal as things are, while the reconstruction of the Dzong is midway through, the people of the district receive almost the equal measure of joy and solace from the festival, which has provisionally shifted its venue to a temporary location.
