Lyonchhen losars in Pemagatshel

30 January 2009

Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley kept his promise of spending every Traditional Day of Offering, widely celebrated in the east as Chunyipa Losar with the people of his constituency. As soon as the second session of the first parliament drew to a close, Lyonchen made his second visit to his constituency after assuming the helm of the government.

After making a day-long visit to the proposed town at Denchi and meeting the people, Lyonchhen celebrated the losar with two days of archery match near his ancestral home at Chhungkhar. The first day match was played with a team from Samdrup Jongkhar led by the Dzongda. The second day match was played with a team from Trashigang.

People from the nearby villages came to watch the archery match. Both the elderly and the young put on their best dresses and came to watch their most illustrious son donned in dars of five colours dangling by his sides. He was inundated with oceans of tshokchhang and mountains of various local edibles.

Ap Sangay of Shumarjuk village tethered his cattle and spent the entire day watching the archery match. “I only wish and pray to spend all the future losar with the Lyonchhen. Normally, I and my fellow farmers play degor in the barren fields, drink ara and pass off for the most part of the day. This year, it is different. For the first time, I really enjoyed the day,” he said.

For many, the day has been very special with both the archery matches with consistent hits evoking victory dances in the target area and the young village dancers entertaining the crowd throughout the day. Nature itself seems to have played its part in decorating the environment with red rhododendron blossoms surrounding the archery range.

For a young corporate employee, Thukten Dorji, winning or losing the match was not important but an opportunity to play alongside the Lyonchhen was a privilege. At the end of the day, he took home the target autographed by the Lyonchhen.

At the end of the day, Ap Sangay was found walking back home along with a friend promising to come back the next day for another day of entertainment amidst the distinguished guests.

39 school-going children from the economically weaker section of the society received assistance from the Lyonchhen’s Aum in the form of school uniforms to enable them to continue their studies and ease burden on their parents.

By Gyembo Namgyal

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