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Due-za was a Bon Ritual that was once practiced in Yurung Gewog (block) under Pemagatshel Dzongkhag (district). It was believed to have been brought from Tibet by the ancestors. There is no written or oral record of the preceders, however, Lopen Kapai was the last holder of the ritual according to the informants.
Every three years in between the third and fourth lunar months, people from three gewogs namely, Yurung, Khominang, and Thungo would gather in a place called Aring in Lawung village. They would hold the ritual and do the same offerings to the local deities for a week. To make the offering, the men are grouped into three age groups; the strong adult men, the middle-aged, and the children.
The people would know their duties and prepare for the ritual. The adult men would hunt deer, reindeer, and other large animals. The middle-aged men would fish from the rivers and the boys would catch birds. Meanwhile, the women would roast the cereals and grind. They only cast head of their catch for the offering. The remaining carcass was either left in the jungle or the hunters kept it for themselves as per the informant. They never consumed the meat of their catch during the ceremony.
They prepared the altar led by Lopen (Master) Kapai (shrine) and the heads of the animals were displayed in it. The locals did not have a particular deity but would seek protection from the Dangling deity and Abi Jomo. Lopen would recite mantras while making the offerings.
After the offering, four people would join their hands by crisscrossing to take a seat and a person would mount on it. He will be raised above and carried around. He would holler out ‘Wayo Wayo’ or ‘Bae Bae’ led by the Lopen and the people would join in the hollering. Every person would have roasted flour (Kapchi in local dialect) in their Gho (Bhutanese male dress) or Kira (Bhutanese female dress) pockets. They would take out a handful and force-feed to the nearest person for fun.
People would prepare their best cuisines and have a potluck culture along with the local liquors; Ara, Bangchang, and Singchang.
All entrances would be sealed and no Buddhist practitioners were allowed to enter and participate in the ritual. In case a practitioner entered unknowingly, it was believed a bad omen would befall the community and hence, would be blamed and dealt with accordingly. Accumulation of merits or carrying out virtuous acts by the members were prohibited.
Dueza was said to have been performed for ages but the head of the village realized it to be immoral and against Buddhism. Upon discussion, the people agreed to cease the practice. They put forward an application to the Home Minister, Late Lyonpo Tamzing Jagar on the thirteenth lunar date of December 1966 to officially release an order to stop the practice. The order was declared on the fifteenth lunar date of December 1966.
The great transition appeared after the kago (the blessings) from the three great Buddhist masters of the time, Gyalwang Karmapa Rangjung Rigpai Dorji, Kyabji Duejom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshey Dorji, and Kyabji Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
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