Although separated by virtually impassable terrain, the people share the common religion of Mayahana Buddhism. Religious symbols and monuments can be seen displayed from the most densely populated valleys to the most remote mountain teahouses and way stops. Prayer flags blow in the wind and prayer wheels are turned to send forth the luck and well being of the Buddhist religion. Before entering the monasteries, we routinely walked the length of the wall, turning the prayer wheels in a clockwise motion. It's believed that if these women spend the night here praying for fertility and sleeping under a phallic statue, they will be given the ability to conceive and will eventually be blessed with a child.
Every Bhutanese home contains a small area with an alter and relics.
This is where the family participates in prayer at least every morning. After prayer, men and women go to work on the farm or their government subsidized jobs. There is no gender differentiation, thus making Bhutanese culture radically different from those of its neighboring countries. Approximately 20,000 children are currently being educated in the public school system. Developed in the sixties to try to bring Bhutan closer to First World literacy, administrators designed both liberal art and technical schools that children of all ages attend.