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Celebrations cap Bhutan king’s coronation

Other News Materials 9 November 2008 03:57 (UTC +04:00)

Dance performances, archery, and traditional sports - such as archery, snatching of the caps and pillow fights over a tub of cold water - capped the three-day celebration in Thimphu of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck's coronation as Bhutan's new king, CNN reports.

In his coronation address on Friday, the 28-year-old monarch referred to Gross National Happiness, the guiding philosophy first promoted by his still-living father, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, as the alternative measure of development to Gross National Product.

The Buddhist nation opened up to tourism only in 1974, the year of the last coronation, when the former king became the world's youngest monarch at the age of 17.

Two years ago, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, then-50, abdicated to his son after setting the nation on the path to democracy with a constitution, the formation of political parties and its first elections earlier this year. The two-year transition, with the 2008 coronation in view, was to give his son as much experience as possible.

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