Jambay Lhakhang Drup
Bumthang's famous fire festival at one of Bhutan's oldest temples, featuring the dramatic Mewang naked fire dance.
Location
Jambay Lhakhang, Bumthang
Duration
4 days
Month (AD)
October/November
Highlights
Mewang naked fire dance, Tercham darkness dance, ancient temple setting in Bhutan's spiritual heartland.
Tips for Visitors
Dates follow the lunar calendar — verify before travel. Bumthang nights are cold in autumn, so bring warm layers for the evening ceremonies.
Jambay Lhakhang Drup is one of Bhutan's most distinctive religious festivals, held at the 7th-century Jambay Lhakhang temple in Bumthang. The festival is renowned for the Mewang — a dramatic torch-lit ceremony where participants dance through a bonfire in the temple courtyard after dark. Another highlight is the Tercham, a sacred dance performed in total darkness. These fire-related rituals are unique to this festival and lend it an atmosphere found nowhere else in Bhutan. The multi-day event also includes the more familiar masked cham dances common to tshechus throughout the country.
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