June 2nd Celebration, 2012.

  The Coronation Day of the 4th Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuk, who reigned as king from 1974 until 2006, is celebrated every year on June 2nd in Bhutan. This day is also observed as Social Forestry Day. The reforms introduced by him during his rule are still remembered and celebrated by the people of Bhutan.

This year, we were greatly honored to receive a substantial budget allocation for the celebration of the Coronation Day and Social Forestry Day. Our school was chosen by the Dzongkhag administration to host the event, and we were provided with a sum of twenty-three thousand Ngultrum to organize activities aimed at increasing forest coverage in the Dunglagang Geog.

 

Singye Tshering, who was in charge of the nature club, started preparing for June 2nd two weeks in advance by clearing bushes and digging holes. He worked tirelessly for the entire two weeks to complete the task force and ensured that everything was clean and ready for the plantation.

 

It had been decided that Lama Nyeten from the Dratshang would be the chairperson for the day. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, he was unable to attend. Patala lama was then asked to take his place, but he also couldn't make it due to heavy rainfall. Finally, after repeated requests, the Dunglagang Geog Administration Officer agreed to chair the day.

 

The chief guest and distinguished guests arrived at around 9:00 AM and were ushered inside the dinning hall. Once the guests were seated, the Principal offered the Marchang Ceremony, followed by a welcome speech. The honorable chief guest then highlighted the importance of the day. The Nature Club Coordinator, Mr. Singye Tshering, read the message sent by the Department of Forest, and the Dunglagang Forest Officer demonstrated the tree plantation procedures. Suja Dretsi was served to all the guests, and then the chief guest, distinguished guests, and students planted tree saplings as a token of love for Mother Earth.

 

After the tree plantation ceremony, the event continued with cultural performances that lasted for a few hours. Afterwards, everyone was invited to have lunch. As the month of Saga Dawa is considered holy, no meat or even dry fish was served. Instead, the students were served potato curry and a boiled egg each.

 

The conclusion of the day left everyone with mixed feelings and emotions, and only the divine can understand why.