A Bhutanese Dinner Party

Every November, the residents of the Phobjika valley in Bhutan welcome hundreds of wintering black-necked cranes with a festival at the spectacular Gangtey Gonpa monastery.

The cranes (also a motif on the dinner plates from Artful House) have been coming to this land for hundreds of years, encouraged by a culture that holds nature in great reverence. They forage on dwarf bamboo in the marshes and on crop residues in the surrounding potato fields.

Bhutan boasts immense bio-diversity and is home to hundreds of species of the poppy, rhododendron, bamboo and chili (all of which feature prominently in the floral centrepieces by Moss and Rose).

The Black-Necked Crane Festival is also an example of successful eco-tourism. It was created by the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN) and the International Crane Foundation (ICF), with the express purpose of attracting tourists to the Phobjika valley, an important conservation area. Thus far, the additional income brought in by tourism has been sufficient to stave off more destructive types of economic development.

Illustration by Darrell Lim. Photography by Alex & Veronika. Post-production by Ericson R. Corpuz.