con the tourist dollar ba....there were alot headed to bhumtang just for the festival alone.
so the festivities must be really wild or either tat, the monks are really naked. lol.
but waitz.....
"Our trip centred around a visit to the November festivals in Bumthang. A great experience, and much as described in your book. However, one thing you left out (perhaps on purpose) was the 'Naked Dance'. When we arrived in Bumthang there was much talk of what time the naked dance would be. It seems to happen for the first three nights of the festival, but the time is not fixed until the evening itself as the monks have to choose the most auspicious time. We were told it was going to be at midnight on the first night and turned up to be told that it had finished at 8pm! The second night we played it safe and turned up at 8pm - and had to wait until midnight (the dancers were very probably late due to large quantities of local wine beforehand to ward off the cold - and the nerves). Still, it was an experience not to be missed. Locals and tourists alike (about 50/50) gathered in a large circle around a campfire while the announcer stressed that photos were not permitted under any circumstances. Then the dancers appeared (maybe 15 boys between 13 and 20), wearing masks and shorts. To the clapping of the crowd, energetic dancing started and the shorts were removed to reveal some very cold boys with balloons attached to their appendages! They then each took it in turns to dance around for the crowd, often pushing their friends towards the bemused onlookers, before disappearing back inside. Extraordinary scene to witness! "
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http://www.lonelyplanet.com/letters/indsc/bhu_pc.htmgosh. no wonder.
(silent d) zong 