Music in Bhutan and the significance beneath the music.

Blog IX

I believe every culture has a cultural music and its own significance to it. Music of Bhutan has traditional genres such as “boedra” and “zhungdra”, and a modern genre called “rigsar”. One of the most famous Bhutanese musicians is called Jigme Drukpa, who is also known as the leading Bhutanese musicologist. During the 17th century, folk music and dance in Bhutan had developed. Traditional instruments include the “lingm”, which is the flute in western music, “dramnyen” (lute), and “chiwang” which is known as fiddle. As I researched about the Bhutanese music, I could find that Drukpa Buddhism and Buddhist music had a big influence on Bhutanese culture as well as music. Many folk songs and chanting style are derived from “Drukpa music”. Bhutanese popular music history recently began with the “Bhutan Broadcasting Service”, which was followed by the band Tashi Nyencha, who established the first recording studio in Thimphu in 1991. Before this era, people in Bhutan mostly listened to “filmi” and other kinds of Indian pop music. “Rigsar” is the dominant style of Bhutanese popular music, and dates back to the late 1980s.
According to my Bhutanese friend, Denka Tshering, she says there are two kind of music in Bhutan. One which is the folk, traditional, and classical music (boedra and zhungdra) which she believes it “creates” the culture. She believes that those types of music tell about the Bhutanese traditional culture and the history of Bhutan. The other style of music in Bhutan, according to her, is “the pop music”; a kind of music which reflects the present Bhutanese culture. She believes that because of the influences on Bhutanese music from other cultures such as India, Korea, as well as the western cultures, this style of music ‘reflects’ the Bhutanese culture instead of ‘creating’ it.
For me, I believe music almost always reflects the culture because of my personal experiences with music and since I am a music major, I have learned many different cultural music. As an example, many people believe that salsa music has been developed from either Puerto Rico or Spain. However it was originated in New York in the late 60s by Cubans and Puerto Ricans. People believe that salsa immediately means Spanish because they believe it is part of a culture. Salsa did not create Spanish culture or Puerto Rican culture but it reflects them. The role of music in culture is that it is there to express that certain culture, society, and feelings of the people in that particular culture but I do not believe it creates a culture.

Food in Bhutan

Blog VIII

During the Thanksgiving break, my Bhutanese friends and I decided to cook some Japanese and Bhutanese food. Like many other Asian countries, Bhutanese food is known to be spicy. Chilies and cheese, in Bhutanese called ema and dates mixed with all kinds of meats, vegetables, poultry and fish are found commonly on many Bhutanese menus. The closest food to Bhutan is Indian food which is also famous for having a spicy taste. Unlike many other Asian food and cultures, Bhutanese people eat their food with their hands. As I researched and asked my friends, they said it is because of the history in Bhutan. Years ago when Bhutan was not as developed as today, people did not have many technology or access to power and resources. They did not have equipments such as forks, knifes, and chopsticks. It is normal for them to serve food on a plate and eat with their hands. One of the biggest rules is when the food is served on a big plate, people have to put the food into their own small plate before they begin to eat. This means they are not allowed to ‘directly’ eat off the main dish. Everyone needs to put the food on their own small plate and then eat from it. It is culturally disrespectful to eat food from the main plate because they eat with their hands so people believe that by constantly picking off the main plate, it is considered to be a very rude behavior. Furthermore, after the funeral, typically and traditionally, people drink teas. There is a certain way to serve the tea in the funeral. The person has to pour the tea in an opposite way than how it is usually poured. If a person is right-handed, she/he would twist the arm towards the left, in other words, counterclockwise. However, during the funeral, she/he would have to twist his/her arm towards right, meaning clockwise. Therefore, in usual occasion, it is considered to be rude if a person pours a tea in this direction. I believe many cultures have certain rule which is considered to be forbidden as they eat or serve food. I was fascinated after having to cook some Bhutanese food during the Thanksgiving break and tried eating with my hands. It felt awkward at first but it also gave me a better understanding of how people eat food in Bhutanese culture.

What is like to visit Bhutan.

Blog VII
My Bhutanese friend once told me something she loves about home; which also provided me different insights of how Bhutan truly is. She said, “In the middle valleys, you will see massive and colorful dzongs (administrative building) or fortresses. They come alive with festivals, religious events and the daily workings of government and monastic life. You will see the fluttering prayer flags that send out goodwill and blessings to the rest of the world while we, Bhutanese people welcome visitors with openness and curiosity”. She also gave me a beautiful quote, “From spring through early summer, you will see rhododendron blooms add splashes of color while exquisite blue poppies cover high-alpine meadows. Blue Sheep, the endemic moose-like Takin, the extremely rare Golden Langurs and the rarely glimpsed Snow Leopard hint at Bhutan's pristine and zealously guarded environment.”
My Bhutanese friends have officially invited me to come to Bhutan. I felt honored and excited to visit a country that is so different and independent from all the other countries I have been to. Bhutan is a country where one cannot enter freely; in other words, we have to apply to go to Bhutan. There is a thing called, “Tourist Tax”, anyone who has not been formally invited have to pay tax in order to enter Bhutan. The government of Bhutan is trying to limit the number of tourists entering the country at a time. They want to keep the preservation and conservation of Bhutanese culture so that traditional heritage can be maintained. If one is the citizen of the country, Bhutan, she/he is entitled to give invitation to the foreigners. Even though I can completely understand this law, I believe people should be able to ‘visit’ a country freely. However, I strongly believe that Bhutan is a country which truly offers the travelers not simply the splendor and the beauty of the Himalayas but also give an opportunity to experience a vibrant culture and way of life whose continued survival enriches the breadth of human diversity and traditions on our planet.

Bhutan, a country that is filled with nature

Blog VI
"This peaceful nation ... is emerging as a big draw, attracting those in search of a spiritual journey, a hiking adventure — or just a chance to experience a place before the rest of the world gets there." ~ The New York Times.

Bhutan is only slightly larger than Switzerland and because of the modern development of contented inns and lodges, it has frequently been put side by side to its European cousin. However, unlike Switzerland, Bhutan’s mountaintops and hills are graced not by ski lifts but by vivacious and living monasteries. In the monasteries, monks reflect spiritual texts, mediate, involve in debate, study, and preserve a way of life that has been endangered in the rest of the Himalayas. As I was informally carrying out conversation with my Bhutanese friends, I asked them how they feel to live in a place surrounded by mountains and valleys and what is like for them to live in the United States.

Denka Tshering (from Bhutan, a student at Wheaton College) said,

“I think because I get to go out to different places and live, when I go home, I realize that I take things for granted. It brings a whole different level of perspectives and you appreciate things at home more. I feel so safe when I am surrounded by mountains and I see monasteries. When I go back over the break and I see it, I begin praying, thanking God for bringing me all the good things including home in my life.

Another friend, Sonam Lhamo (from Bhutan, a student at Wheaton College) added,

“After my first year of high school in the U.S., I was truly ready and excited to go home. I was on a plane and as the plane was descending to land to Bhutan, I had tears come out and felt so excited and safe to be home. Mountains, monasteries, and valleys are the symbols of home and I completely connect with it. Anywhere I am, I feel like before making or taking any big steps in life, I pray. Whether I am in the U.S or in Bhutan, it is a perpetual thing that which allows me to connect to home and family.

Denka agreed with Sonam. They both said that behavior of praying or chanting in order to connect with home comes from Buddhist tradition as well as culture influence. They said no matter where they are at, when they pray, it makes them feel closer to home.