Ura Matsutake Festival
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The Ura Matsutake Festival is an annual cultural event held in the Ura Valley of Bumthang, Bhutan. The festival celebrates the harvest of the matsutake mushroom, a prized and rare fungus that grows in the alpine forests surrounding the valley. This festival, typically held in October, is a celebration of the community’s agricultural traditions, as well as the spiritual and cultural practices of the Ura people.
The festival features a variety of cultural performances, including traditional dances, songs, and rituals. Cham dances, performed by monks in colorful costumes, are a highlight of the event, representing spiritual purification and protection.
The Ura Matsutake Festival also involves the sharing of the matsutake mushrooms with the community, and there are stalls selling local handicrafts and foods. The festival serves as a time for cultural exchange, community bonding, and spiritual reflection, while showcasing the region’s deep connection to nature and its rich heritage.
Learn to identify and harvest the fabled wild Matsutake mushrooms of Bhutan. Prized by gourmets in Japan, this fungi is native to the forests of Ura valley in central Bhutan. Celebrate alongside the people of Ura for three days, as yet another mushroom season arrives, bringing the opportunity not only to sample some truly delicious meals but to cultivate a deeper insight into the rhythms of Bhutanese village life. Hike the valley’s fragrant trails and discover your own private patch of this most coveted of mushrooms, or head over to the region’s exquisite temples and monasteries, which rank among the most prized treasures of Bhutan. Read more about this article featured in the Internationational Ecotourism Society Blog titled ‘Discover the Rhythms of Bhutanese Village Life: