All over Bhutan, people's homes are brightened by clumps of red peppers spread on the rooftops to dry in the sun.
Just as likely as finding peppers on the roofs, a visitor to Bhutan will notice that Bhutanese decorate their homes and businesses with phalluses. Big, swollen, unmistakeable phalluses. Sometimes they have ribbons tied around them. Sometimes they have white spurts shooting out. Sometimes they have hairy balls at the bottom, It's really quite a shocker for a visitor from the west to encounter. Some homes dangle them from the eaves and others place models in the window or even stick them in planters.
The custom derives from the legend of the Divine Madman who brought Buddhism to Nepal from Tibet. He supposedly fought off his enemies by using his phallus as a weapon, sometimes turning it into a sword or a thunderbolt.
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| Visitors can buy souvenir phalluses to take home with them |
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| Souvenirs for Sale at the Airport Gift Shop |