25:
159:
The prowling may be foiled due to wrong footing, which may wake up the whole family. The intruder may get chased away with hot water splashed on him, or be thrown out of the window. Strict parents chase the intruder or threaten him with marriage or a stick while liberal ones pretend to be asleep even
151:
Young men go out at night to sneak into girls' windows to engage in sexual activities. The prowling can be solo or in groups depending on whether or not the man has a fixed date. It is the rural equivalent of an urban date. If one has talked with the girl in advance then it can be a solo activity but
204:
The current discourse and understanding of Bomena, according to the author, are naĂŻve, biased and misrepresented, heavily influenced by changing values especially among the urban societies. One common notion is that any rural culture is âinferiorâ and all urban cultures are âsuperiorâ, and replacing
167:
The practice is far more dramatic because this happens under pitch darkness and traditionally the whole family sleep in one large room, which is the kitchen and living room. The prowler must know pretty well where the girl sleeps in order to find the right bed. There are stories of boys getting into
163:
Boys generally attempt to complete the task and make a quick exit if the parents of the girl are in and may stay longer if the girl is alone. It is in some places a custom that a boy discovered in the morning by the parents shall become the husband of the girl, but usually the boy and the girl make
155:
Traditional two-story buildings makes the prowling difficult but the sliding window shutter with only wooden latches from inside makes it easier. Strategies vary from sneaking in the door to climbing up the side of a house to enter a window or even dropping in from the roof. The uniform architecture
171:
The culture of night prowling is fading away due to socio-economic changes. With new metal latches and locks in many houses, it is difficult for young boys now to get into the house. With modern education, modern western form of romance and dating tradition is growing and young people are no longer
187:
However, the growing culture of nuclear families, the requirement for marriage certificates, requirement of a father to register the child as citizen, the increasing practice of western styled wedding culture are leading to an increased stigma for single motherhood. This subsequently is leading to
200:
In the book âLove, Courtship and
Marriage in Rural Bhutanâ by Dorji Penjore, the Centre for Bhutan Studies, discusses night hunting. According to the author, Bomena, a âcustom whereby a boy stealthily enters a girlâs house at night for courtship or coitus with or without prior consultationâ, is
148:"Night hunting" is a traditional culture of nightly courtship and romance that is practiced mostly in eastern and central rural Bhutan. There is neither the word "night" nor the word "hunting" in the original terms. The original words can be best rendered as "prowling for girls".
156:
of
Bhutanese houses, with same design of doors and windows also make it easier. The age old tradition has also come up with special tools to undo doors and windows. If the boy successfully infiltrates the dwelling, he still may be rejected by the girl he is pursuing.
191:
Modern education and the literature associated with it are spreading fast and with them a worldview and culture heavily influenced by a
Western, Christian moral ethos. This is fast replacing a more liberal Buddhist attitude toward sex which was prevalent in Bhutan.
201:
commonly misunderstood in Bhutan as ânight huntingâ. The use of a vernacular word Bomena, not ânight huntingâ, a term loaded with ethnocentrism and ignorance of the custom, tells a lot of this original village ethnography.
160:
if they know the prowler is around. This is more likely if they know the prowler is a suitor they would like to have for their daughter. It is not difficult to guess who the prowler might be in small close-knit villages.
152:
usually it happens after a gathering when friends decide to go prowling for girls. Most boys would have a girl in mind. Although they set out as a group, they disperse gradually as they find a partner.
184:. Bastardy and single motherhood were less of a problem in the traditional setting with extended families and grandparents always around to look after the child.
180:
One potential issue is the abuse of this cultural practice leading to sexual assault and rape. Perhaps a more common downside of night prowling has been rampant
205:
the rural culture with urban culture is seen as a way of emancipating the
Bhutanese farmers from their âprimitiveâ culture and advancing the country.
235:
326:
375:
108:
46:
42:
164:
sure that the boy exits before the parents get up in the morning. If he oversleeps, they may still find a way to sneak out.
89:
61:
360:
68:
370:
298:
355:
345:
380:
350:
75:
168:
the wrong bed and the grannies yelling the boy out or having a good laugh or even quietly enjoying the visit.
181:
35:
57:
289:
322:
302:
82:
243:, United Nations Secretary Generalâs Study on Violence against Children, 2005, p. 1
365:
172:
keen on this traditional practice, preferring to exchange love letters and fix dates.
339:
260:
285:
24:
262:
Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women
188:
the fall in sex outside wedlock and practices such as prowling for girls.
237:
Highlights from the
Consultation on Violence against Children, in Bhutan
132:, is a traditional courtship custom that is practiced in some parts of
133:
125:
214:
137:
18:
136:. Similar customs have also existed in other cultures,
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
268:, Report of the Kingdom of Bhutan, p. 58
8:
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
291:Acting Asian - Impressions of a Culture
227:
7:
47:adding citations to reliable sources
14:
23:
34:needs additional citations for
1:
299:International House of Japan
397:
16:Bhutanese courtship custom
376:Social history of Bhutan
43:improve this article
361:Sexuality in Bhutan
371:Society of Bhutan
327:978-99936-23-15-1
119:
118:
111:
93:
388:
356:Night in culture
346:Gender in Bhutan
330:
319:
313:
312:
311:
310:
303:Japan Foundation
296:
282:
276:
275:
274:
273:
267:
257:
251:
250:
249:
248:
242:
232:
114:
107:
103:
100:
94:
92:
51:
27:
19:
396:
395:
391:
390:
389:
387:
386:
385:
381:Women in Bhutan
351:Human sexuality
336:
335:
334:
333:
320:
316:
308:
306:
294:
284:
283:
279:
271:
269:
265:
259:
258:
254:
246:
244:
240:
234:
233:
229:
224:
211:
198:
178:
146:
138:namely in Japan
122:"Night hunting"
115:
104:
98:
95:
58:"Night hunting"
52:
50:
40:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
394:
392:
384:
383:
378:
373:
368:
363:
358:
353:
348:
338:
337:
332:
331:
314:
277:
252:
226:
225:
223:
220:
219:
218:
210:
207:
197:
194:
177:
174:
145:
142:
117:
116:
31:
29:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
393:
382:
379:
377:
374:
372:
369:
367:
364:
362:
359:
357:
354:
352:
349:
347:
344:
343:
341:
328:
324:
318:
315:
305:, p. 137
304:
300:
293:
292:
287:
286:Dorji, Kinley
281:
278:
264:
263:
256:
253:
239:
238:
231:
228:
221:
216:
213:
212:
208:
206:
202:
196:In literature
195:
193:
189:
185:
183:
175:
173:
169:
165:
161:
157:
153:
149:
143:
141:
139:
135:
131:
127:
123:
113:
110:
102:
91:
88:
84:
81:
77:
74:
70:
67:
63:
60: â
59:
55:
54:Find sources:
48:
44:
38:
37:
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
317:
307:, retrieved
290:
280:
270:, retrieved
261:
255:
245:, retrieved
236:
230:
203:
199:
190:
186:
179:
170:
166:
162:
158:
154:
150:
147:
129:
121:
120:
105:
96:
86:
79:
72:
65:
53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
124:, known in
99:August 2008
340:Categories
309:2008-08-02
272:2008-08-02
247:2008-08-02
222:References
69:newspapers
288:(2005),
209:See also
182:bastardy
144:Practice
321:(2009;
217:, Japan
83:scholar
325:
301:, and
176:Issues
134:Bhutan
130:Bomena
126:Bhutan
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
366:Sleep
295:(PDF)
266:(PDF)
241:(PDF)
215:Yobai
90:JSTOR
76:books
323:ISBN
62:news
128:as
45:by
342::
297:,
140:.
329:)
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
87:¡
80:¡
73:¡
66:¡
39:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
