GNN's award winning City of the Month for October is ... འབྲུག་ཡུལ་
Bumthang
in Bhutan, Druk Yul, meaning land of the thunder dragon.
Bumthang is considered the spiritual heartland of the country of Bhutan because it was from here, in the 8th century, that the whole country embraced Buddhism. Guru Rinpoche cured the local area king of a spirit induced ailment and this caused the king to immediately embrace Buddhism and gradually the whole country also did so.
The Bumthang Tangbi Mani Festival is a joyous religious celebration that takes place each year in October near Jakar. During the Bumthang Festival masked dancers perform in the courtyards of the Dzongs (fortresses) of the area. The courtyard of the monastery built in 1470 hosts the famous fire dance performed by the monks. There is music and dancing as valley dwellers and towns people dress in costume and celebrate to bring happiness, a good harvest and prosperity to the villages.
Bhutan is a country of many festivals and much happiness, in fact they measure the happiness of their country.
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Masked dancers in the Bumthang Festival
Jakar Dzong, Bhutan taken on May 5, 2005 by Jean-Marie Hullot 
ABOVE: Gongsa Ugyen Wangchuck (Dzongkha: 
)(1862–1926) He was the first King of Bhutan from 1907 to 1926. In his lifetime he made great efforts to unite the country. The photograph was taken in Punakha, the old capital of Bhutan, in 1905.