Decoding The Bhutanese Code Of Etiquette
Ever wondered during your trip why the Bhutanese are so very courteous?
Well, that’s because certain norms like Driglam Namzha (the traditional code of etiquette) is steeped in Bhutanese culture. Drig denotes order, norm and conformity. Thus, Driglam literally means the way of having order and conformity while Namzha refers to a concept or system.
Driglam Namzha is therefore a system of orderly and cultured behavior, and by extension, the standards and rules to this effect.
The Bhutanese culture of etiquette is said to have started with the Buddhist Vinaya or monastic discipline. For instance, crude conducts such as slurping while eating and prancing while walking are described in the Vinaya as behavioral flaws. These are considered unbecoming for a cultured person in Bhutan. Thus, good mannerism in Bhutan is to a great extent defined by the Buddhist ethics of physical, verbal and mental conducts. In this respect, the concept of Driglam, in a flexible sense refers to good manners, which are adopted by the individuals and influenced by the concept of good Buddhist conduct.
When Buddhism spread in the Himalayas, such wholesome comportment was codified and implemented as norms of conducts in the courts and monasteries. The first effective codification and implementation of Driglam in Bhutan as a formal code of conduct at an institutional level perhaps started with Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and his close circle, who instituted a code of conduct for their court and clergy in the 17th century. Throughout the centuries, their codes of etiquette were required in Bhutan’s administrative centers and state monasteries, and the common people emulated the centers in adopting the practice.
Today, apart from being the code of conduct, Driglam Namzha is also a marker of Bhutanese identity. Its intrinsic value lies in it being an expression of civility, tact, propriety, decorum and elegance. It is by this value that Driglam Namzha can be sustained and celebrated as a unique Bhutanese heritage.