"Thrue Bab" The Blessed Rainy Day...celebration.

Bhutan celebrates the "Thrue" tomorrow and all Government offices will remain closed.
During Thrue, Bhutanese believe that an elixir falls at a certain time in all water bodies. Thus, on this day all natural water is considered to be sanctifying and people are encouraged to take an outdoor bath to be cleansed of “bad deeds, obstructions and defilement and accumulated bad karma”. Some even keep clean bowls of water strewn with flowers, believing that the elixir will fall in the water.

Thrue has been a important part of our culture and a time when people in the villages take respite from their back breaking work. Its a time when families feast and merry.

I remember as a child when we were so excited to taste a different dish on this occasion. Then we have a longt list on our menu and everything is mouth watering.

Rubbing our eyes we got up at the crack of dawn and went to a near by brook to receive the "thrue". "Lucky people see river of milk" our elders said, but I never saw milk even in the pond. May be I was never lucky or I might have sinned too much. After we bathe we come home to get our warm bowl of strew and yak-butter tea. Nothing better than this day, then. After that a whole lot of grubs follow. After we have our fill we go out and play dart or hurl disc shaped stone till our arms ache.

Our elders are preoccupied with a drinking session or a game of archery. Women folks are either planning the next recipe or busy entertaining the archers with their dancing and jeering.

Today too things haven't changed much though Thrue has a modern touch. Instead of remaining home and drinking and eating now families want to go out picnicking. This day has become a time for the people living in the cities to remain home and relax. May be slowly this day is loosing its significance but still "Thrue" remains in my heart as it did before.....