Lochoe: the annual offering an annual gathering........

As for the family, it is at that time you enjoy the togetherness. When we the children could not walk . By the time when we start walking it make it tough for the parents to guide and guard for our safety, therefore if you are blessed with strong, healthy and without any defects on your body after your birth, thank your parents.

At our tender age, they don't let you go out, in fear of getting hurt as we play, and as we grow up, first time we depart if one may know is when you complete your schooling at home and have to go away for higher studies. One may not feel, but it's too cold for the parents.

 Never mind, it may be for the whole summer that time and to return on winter vacation back home. But suddenly, now you are in to a job, no way....... how terrible for your loving parents to miss you all time but how many of their children miss them?


 Thanks for this tradition and the culture where we make offerings to the protective deities the Dharmapalas. If not one may believe the protective deities, may one at lest regard for its role in bringing the whole family often together, like once we lived together with parents and siblings under one roof.

 Lochoe (Lo=annual, Choe=offering) which means the annual offering, the blissful and harmonious tradition that we have in our country.

 This tradition brings the siblings away from one another back into oneness. The other calls up on, arranges a date and prepares for the journey. The fruits, snacks, local rice, and as many items one can afford to appease the deities as well as the relatives back home who would gather at the Lochoe ritual. One might park its car by the parental home late in the evening, early morning before one is up, there are already a handful of your relatives and villagers helping out in the kitchen.

 “Dema pheb pay gay, Lochoe nango Jon Bi Wenza,” would be the greeting word in a typical Urap in a disciplined and well respectful word for any visitor. It indeed also is an occasion where one is having an audience with our protective deties. One may not see but if one may believe the tradition is indeed like we call our friends for dinner for some reason.

Here we invite, our protective deities, applause them for their support and protection, request yet again to continue the same, offer all kinds in gratitude and departs with words to keep in touch as a one for each other.

 And I had my Lochoe with all my family, meet every one I missed for so long, prayed for success and support from the guardian deities and personally it was so good to be with my parents and grand parents and to feel some presence of Latsen Dorji Draduel the local protective deity to whom we better known as the Memey Drak Tsen for his cliff rock residential nature.

 LoChoe, in other name, is a true offering, and a real gathering..... a party for joy and joyous to come.......until next time.....