Alternative Bhutan folk custom "reproductive totem" can be seen everywhere.

Bhutan is a backward country. Although Bhutan's economy is quite backward, in the "list of happy countries in the world" released in 26, Bhutan ranked eighth and ranked first in Asia.

"My daughter is four years old, but her mother and I are not married and don't live together. We visit them every year." Listening to Tashi, a Bhutanese guide, and looking at the sex totem that appeared openly in public occasions, the Bhutanese's openness and frankness towards marriage and sex surprised me. As a natural mountain people, they emphasized the combination based on feelings.

Tradition is my first impression of Bhutan. However, totems are painted on houses all over the street, which is in great contrast with this introverted and shy mountain nation. Outsiders were a little confused at first, but they were soon relieved. In Tibetan Buddhism, it was a symbol of an instrument, but the Bhutanese expressed it more directly.

This kind of sex totem can be seen everywhere in Bhutan, and girls look calm

Especially in the handicraft street in Thimphu, we can see many wooden "male roots" and masks used by "Achala" in festivals. Bhutanese firmly believe that as long as this kind of wood carving is placed in the four corners of the room, it can be sheltered by the famous crazy holy monk LamaDrukpa Kunley, because the devil is also in awe of his strong genitals.

Woodcut

Souvenir

However, Bhutanese in real life are not as conservative and traditional as I expected in marriage and sex. Along the way, Tashi, the guide, was the Bhutanese man I came into contact with the most. This young man in his thirties was fluent in Chinese, smart and enthusiastic. I always thought that he must have a happy marriage when he became a father. When he left Bhutan at last, he accidentally asked, only to know that he and his child's mother were not married. The woman lived in the south of Bhutan, and it seemed that she had no plans to live together in Thimphu. Tashi said that now both sides are free and can choose another spouse. This relationship seems normal in the eyes of Bhutanese, and no one will make irresponsible remarks.

In line with this, Bhutanese people are also more open-minded about sex, and they are not ashamed to communicate with each other. Bhutanese think that * * * is very proud. However, the attraction of romantic places to Bhutanese is very small. I have never seen or heard of such places when traveling in Bhutan, but there is a custom called "night hunting" which is very popular in rural Bhutan: when the night comes, when the last light goes out, those restless men will knock on the girl's door with a flashlight or a torch.

spiritual sustenance

Therefore, in the countryside, "hunters" shuttling between houses can be seen everywhere, which looks like the scenes written by French playwright Marivaux. In order to achieve their goal, men will do whatever it takes: they will send a child to the "target" home to deliver dairy products, in order to open the door of the girl's house and find out if there are any suitors who have got there first. As a result, unmarried pregnancy is also common in Bhutan, a Buddhist country where abortion is not allowed, but it is not necessarily necessary for parents to get married or live together because of this, depending on whether both parties have this will.

Totem

Handicraft Shop

According to Tashi, in Bhutanese society dominated by Buddhism, no matter in urban or rural areas, compared with the surrounding South Asia, Bhutanese weddings are informal. On the one hand, it is a waste to do big things, and on the other hand, Bhutanese pay more attention to funerals, which are far more grand than weddings. For a long time, Bhutanese men and women in love, as long as they live together, even if they get married, they don't need ceremony, and they are mainly in free love, and both sides have the right to choose.

Even in recent years, Bhutan has not enacted a law on monogamy. In fact, as long as both parties agree, they can still be polygamous or polygamous. The average age of marriage is 21 for men and 16 for women. If one of them runs away from home, it will result in the fact of divorce and there is no need to go through any formalities. It's hard to imagine the same dream in Bhutan. If it's not suitable, why do you have to live together? Sounds very human.

Family values are very strong

Unlike South Asian countries, Bhutan has implemented equality between men and women well. Even women have a higher status in the family, and even the inheritance is passed on to women. Perhaps it is considered that men may plant seeds everywhere, while women will stay to raise children. According to local folk customs, after marriage, the man must "adopt by adoption" the woman, and the obligation to support all falls on the daughter's shoulders. After a hundred years of old people, the family property must also be recorded in the daughter's account. Because women are "married without leaving the door" and are still in the special role of "breadwinner", they often hold the financial power of the whole family. Economic independence, even in front of parents and husbands, is uncompromising.

Quiet streets

However, in this country where the marriage system is vague, family values are very heavy. Once you decide to live together, few people will divorce. The older generation of Bhutanese have their own views on the marriage system. "The divorce rate in countries with legal constraints is high, while Bhutan has no legal constraints, but the divorce rate is low and happiness is high." In their eyes, marriage is the biggest joke. Bhutanese are very pragmatic, and believe that marriage should be based on mutual understanding. If two people who love each other live together, it means that they have an engagement relationship, otherwise they will give each other freedom.

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