Spectacular Textile Holiday in Bhutan
Continuing our blog instalment of the Colouricious Textile Holiday to Bhutan, we reveal what other attractions lay in store for you to experience on this creative holiday. To fill you in, Colouricious Holidays specialise in organising group textile tours which will enable you to see the sights of Bhutan and experience local textile making and crafts up close and personal. You’ll have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture, colour, community and witness the spectacular mountain scenery of this country which lies at the foot of the Himalayas.
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On a Bhutan textile holiday, you’ll be in the hands of our experienced guides and stay in high quality local hotels many of which have access to WIFI and television. This type of unique tours enables you to explore the Bhutanese culture, scenery and local crafts in more integrated way. You’ll discover papermaking, fabrics, embroidery and other ceramic crafts. You’ll marvel at the beautiful weaving techniques and colourful textiles produced and have the chance to buy some keepsakes to bring home.
Journey through Bhutan’s creative textile cultural heartland
You’ll be able to visit a variety of markets and museums and see the variety of crafts and textiles which are on display. On route is the Dilli Haat market, offering the most amazing, authentic crafts to purchase. It is one of Delhi’s famous markets covering 6 acres of land and features 62 stalls selling an array of embroidered and woven fabrics, silk products, cushion covers, bags, shoes, saris, paintings, jewellery, handicrafts, wood and stone carvings, carpets and rugs, furniture, antiques and leather items. Click here for some top tips to make sure you get a fair price for your goods.
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What makes this market so special and so renowned is the traditional ‘weekly village market’ atmosphere it promotes. The small thatched roof cottages create a small village feel even though it’s one of the biggest markets in Delhi. It was specifically created by the government for local artisans to showcase their craft and products, encouraging them to venture out from their villages and sell directly to customers, increasing their profits by cutting out the middle man. Stall allotments are rotated every 15 days so different crafts man can display new items so there is always something new to be discovered. It has been a successful project preserving India’s traditional heritage.
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There is so much to see with these artisans often displaying their skills at their stalls or in the exhibition hall holding different shows to promote handloom. There are live cultural and music performances by different artists from around the country. There are also 25 food stalls on site with a diverse selection of cuisine. Now this is shopping in style. It’s an incredibly beautiful market with such an array of vibrant fabrics and definitely not one to miss!
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Local crafts with local materials
At Colouricious Holidays, we want you to have an unforgettable holiday as this country deserves to be admired for its stunning fabrics and architecture. This holiday has been running for 3 years receiving such wonderful feedback. Many of our guests are return customers and book onto other crafty holidays to different destinations across the world. Listen to our guests lovely testimonials below. Colouricious Holidays want you to be inspired for your own textile projects in future. You’ll have an amazing array of photo opportunities which will enable you to bring back even more amazing memories of a stunning country with amazing crafts people who produce beautiful textiles and designs. You’ll see the technicolour of designs which are imbued with meaning and status for the Bhutanese people.
Immerse Yourself In The Culture, Community And Colours Of Bhutan
Bhutan is a fascinating country bordered by Tibet and Nepal and is deeply influenced by Buddhist monasteries which pepper the landscape. Set in the heart of the Himalayas, you’ll be able to meet the indigenous people who have lived and thrived in these conditions for generations. You’ll be able to visit the beautiful Buddhist temples and see prayer flags which are on display. One of these beautiful landmarks waiting to be explored is Trongsa Dzong. The town is located on a steep ridge with the fortress edged next to a sheer drop often disguised in the clouds and mist, overlooking the gorge of the Mangde River. It remains the only access point between eastern and western Bhutan. It is the largest fortress in Bhutan containing 25 temples and houses over 200 monks. 
The buildings are set on different levels on the rocky spur with wide stones stairs and maze of beautifully paved courtyards and passageways connecting them all. Its impressive architecture makes it a must see along with the fine decoration of mural paintings lining the walls designed during the rule of the first king. An important printing house is located on site where religious texts are printed using the traditional woodblock printing technique. The watchtower has now been transformed into a state-of-the art national museum. Trongsa tsechu is also held here every year, an important five day festival marking the triumph of Buddhism for the country. A large embroidered or painted religious picture known as thongdrel will be unveiled with many dressed in exquisite colourful costumes and masks. There is also the fire blessing where people run through and archway of straw alit with burning flames.[gallery size="large" ids="1448,1450,1462"]
Colouricious Holidays
Does this sound like an adventure you want to be a part of? Please visit www.colouriciousholidays.com to read more on what a Colouricious Holiday to Bhutan entails. There are many more amazing things to uncover so take a look at the highlights. Colouricious Holidays offer unique craft and textile experiences to help inspire your creativity. You will be travelling with a group of like minded guests using trusted tour guides and hotels. We take care of everything so you don’t have too so rememberLearn, create, be happy!
Our creative holidays to Bhutan begin in London where you’ll fly to Delhi and then arrive in the sacred 
Learn, create, be happy!
You will witness the women in India hand sew and embellish beautiful fabric pieces used as Kantha sprees and Kantha quilts. You will enjoy the company of like-minded people enjoying a creative and inspiring textile holiday learning about different hand printing and sewing techniques that you will then explore yourselves. Visit 
Subsistence oriented economy of the tribes here is based on food gathering, hunting and fishing, thus, revolving around forests. While farming, they make use of a very simple technology and a simple division of labor often limited to the immediate family. But they lose out because their holdings are small and unproductive, lacking irrigation facility due to a hilly and undulating terrain.
Many tribes practice shifting cultivation or Podu Chasa, also known as slash and burn. They select a plot of land on a mountain slope, slash down all the trees and bushes and burn them to ashes. Spreading the ashes evenly over the land, they wait for the rains before planting their crops. Due to cultivation for two or three seasons on one plot of land the soil gets depleted and the tribes move on. It is a way of life for them.
vegetarianism. But a significant proportion of population yet relishes fish and other sea food delicacies like prawns, crabs and lobsters that are found in plenty at the vast coastline of the state. Cooked with little or absolutely no oil, Oriya food has a less calorific value.
Colouricious Holidays have lots of different holidays exploring India, Japan, Bhutan and Uzbekistan. We will be expanding this all the time with more
Bagru is a small village located near Jaipur, the capital City of Rajasthan. It"s home to the Chippa community who have been practicing a unique style of printing for more than 350 years. Colouricious holidays visited Bagru, running Bagru block printing workshops, working with traditional printers and helping support this ancient craft which faces threat from globalisation.
Scouring- locally called ‘Hari Sarana’
Dyeing is a process in which the dye reacts with two mordants at two different locations on the same print giving two different shades of colors. As mentioned earlier ‘alizarin’ is used as the dye throughout Rajasthan. The colours obtained in conjunction with the two mordants are red (with alum) and block (with ferrous). Dyeing is carried out in large copper vessels (‘tambri’) which are heated by wood fire. Alizarin is filled in small cloth-bags (‘potali’) and dipped in the vessel. The quantity of alizarin dye is calculated by the experienced dyer. ‘Dhawadi phool’, a local flower is boiled along with alizarin to avoid patches and staining. Once the dyed fabric is ready (usually it takes half-an-hour), it is taken out of the copper vessel and left on the ground for drying.
Creating your own fabric designs or making your own paper for craft projects needn"t be difficult. Colouricious love to experiment with metallic paints. Using wooden printing blocks, metallic print fabric can transform textiles into these beautiful collage designs below. Due to the reflective nature of the paint, it blends well with any dyed fabric generating this magical, vibrant appearance and is the best way to embellish your textiles.
If wooden block printing isn"t your cup of tea then don"t be afraid to get creative. Metallic paint can be used in many wonderful ways. This paint works best on natural fibres than synthetic as the paint is made from a mixture of a pigment and a glue-like binder and therefore sticks to rougher surfaces easier. The sparkle that these wonderful paints create will enhance any of your creations. Unlike fabric dye, it only requires ironing to fix the paint.
Circle Set.
