Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [28]
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There are 19 spoken languages in Bhutan.
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Accordingly, daily life revolves around the care of livestock and farm labour. In Bumthang, where the woman is the head of the household, it will be she who decides on the division of farm labour. Bhutanese women are viewed as equal to Bhutanese men and accordingly there are only a few forms of labour traditionally viewed as exclusively male or female. Weaving and spinning have been reserved for women, while harrowing and ploughing were reserved for men. However, it is not uncommon to see a husband and wife working together ploughing their land. Other tasks such as collecting the harvest, threshing and so forth are done by men and women. Usually women brew the homemade alcohol.
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There are approximately 15,000 lay or married monks, called ngakpa or gomchen.
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Life for most rural households starts around dawn and ends with sunset. Each morning the family will make offerings, typically of water, before the household shrine and a simple breakfast of rice will be prepared. Men and women share equally in the day-to-day care of the children, and although women are usually in charge of the household, men are equally able to, and expected to, assist with the cooking. Meals are eaten sitting on the floor, often with personal bowls for rice and a selection of simple shared dishes set out in front – ema datse, perhaps a meat dish or some buckwheat noodles. Children are expected to help with the household and agricultural chores, like collecting water or firewood for the household, cleaning or herding the livestock.
In the evening, the water from the offering bowls will be poured away and a butter lamp may be lit and left to burn before the household shrine.
Traditionally Bhutanese were very self-sufficient, often making their own clothing, bedding, floor and seat covers, tablecloths, and decorative items for daily and religious use. There remains a degree of self-sufficiency among the rural Bhutanese, though many day-to-day items are increasingly imported from Bangladesh, India and Thailand.
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DOMA
Doma is an integral part of Bhutanese culture. A popular gift throughout Bhutanese society, it is made up of three main ingredients: doma or areca nut (Areca catechu), pani or betel leaf (Piper betel), and tsune or lime (calcium carbonate).
According to Bhutanese tradition, in 1637 a huge gathering of people had come with a variety of food products to offer to the Zhabdrung in Punakha. Deeply touched by their gesture, the Zhabdrung instructed that those present should be served with various gifts of food and doma pani. JC White, the British political officer who attended Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck’s enthronement in 1907, reports that doma was served to those attending the enthronement.
Eating doma was an aristocratic practice, with the various ingredients kept in ornate rectangular silver boxes called chaka, while lime had a separate circular box with conical lid called trimi. Today, people may keep their doma in bamboo bangchung or a cloth pouch called a kaychung. Young people appear to be turning away from eating doma, particularly as it may cause a variety of cancers.
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In 2003, 46.6% of Bhutanese earned their livelihood from farming. Almost one third of Bhutanese now earn a salary.
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Marriage
In the past, marriages were arranged. However, since the 1970s the majority of marriages are love matches. The minimum age is sixteen for women and twenty-one for men. In rural areas, it is quite common for the husband to move into his wife’s household and if they divorce he will return to live with his own family.
Polyandry, the practice of taking more than one husband, still exists in certain parts of Bhutan and polygamy is restricted. There remains a large number of Bhutanese couples who, although living together as a couple, are not formally married.