Tsechu in Bhutanese means “tenth day,” and is a religious festival held on the tenth day of a month on the lunar calendar which corresponds to the birthday of Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava).
Tsechus bring communities together to watch the sacred mask dances, meet with friends and family, and also to receive blessings and wash away their sins. Each mask dance is unique and some have been performed the same way for over a thousand years. Generally monks perform the dance, but in small villages, local men also join in.