At various times of the year, the annual festivals known as Tshechus take place in different locations. Two of the most popular are held at Paro in spring, and Thimphu in autumn, but there are many others at temples, dzongs, and monasteries throughout Bhutan. Dancers in brilliant silk costumes re-enact legendary events, accompanied by blaring horns, booming drums and clashing cymbals as they whirl and leap against a backdrop o sky and mountains. Certain dances require the participant to wear heavy masks, representing human forms, manifestations of Guru Rinpoche, animal skulls or fearsome deities. There are three different types of religious dances: instructive dances, which tell a moral tale, dances that proclaim the victory of Buddhism and the glory of Guru Rinpoche.

The Tshechus are celebrated for three to five days, with both monks and laymen taking part in dances, which tend to be performed in a similar programme at each of the Tshechus. Amongst the dancers at all the festivals are the so-called atsaras, or clowns, whose expressive masks and postures provide a welcome counterpoint to the formalised religious dances.