Blessed rainy day

The next few weeks are a festive season in Thimphu, with three celebration days. On Tuesday, September 23rd, we marked “Thrue Bab,” the Blessed Rainy Day, which begins the harvest and ends the monsoon. Bhutanese tradition says all water sources on this day—rivers, streams, lakes, and rain—gain healing powers that wash away impurities, bringing health and harmony. Families once bathed in rivers before dawn or collected rainwater with flowers and herbs for cleansing. Today, especially in cities, the custom is less common, but families still gather to eat Thueb, a salty rice porridge.

I was invited to three colleagues’ families that day. First was Yeshi’s. After receiving blessings at the temple, she picked me up, and we sat on the carpet at her home, sipping Thueb and talking. I played with her three-year-old son, who speaks only Sharchop. Though I answered in English, we somehow understood each other. Soon he began calling me “Kama,” my new Bhutanese name. Later, when I left, he asked, “Where is Kama?”—a touching moment.

At noon I went to Pema’s house, where I met her cousin and uncles. We enjoyed pork datshi, fried liver, and melted cheese with rice, eaten by hand. My hands ended up much more messy than my hosts —clearly I need more practice! After lunch and a short rest, I showed her uncle some exercises for his knee pain.
By evening, I was at Rinchen’s home with her extended family. Dinner was generous: rice, fish curry, radish curry, fried eggs, and chicken curry. I had brought UNO for her five-year-old son, and we spent the evening playing together before I stayed over.
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​I went to bed deeply grateful for the kindness, hospitality, and sense of family I experienced throughout the day. The food was wonderful, though by the end I was so full I could hardly sleep!