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Bhutan king and queen share first public kiss

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  • ASSOCIATED PRESS
    Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, left, and Queen Jetsun Pema kiss in front of the crowd at the main stadium as part of their wedding celebrations in Thimphu, Bhutan, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The 31 year-old reformist monarch of the small Himalayan Kingdom wed his commoner bride in a series of ceremonies at a 17th century monastic fortress Thursday. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
  • ASSOCIATED PRESS
    Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, left, and Queen Jetsun Pema kiss in front of the crowd at the main stadium as part of their wedding celebrations in Thimphu, Bhutan, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The 31 year-old reformist monarch of the small Himalayan Kingdom wed his commoner bride in a series of ceremonies at a 17th century monastic fortress Thursday. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
  • ASSOCIATED PRESS
    Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, bottom center, and Queen Jetsun Pema, bottom left, dance the traditional final dance with guests at the main stadium as part of their wedding celebrations in Thimphu, Bhutan, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The 31-year-old reformist monarch of the small Himalayan Kingdom wed his commoner bride in a series of ceremonies at a 17th-century monastic fortress Thursday. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
  • ASSOCIATED PRESS
    Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, center left, and Queen Jetsun Pema, center right, watch as dancers perform during a Buddhist ceremony at the main stadium as part of their wedding celebrations in Thimphu, Bhutan, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The 31-year-old reformist monarch of the small Himalayan Kingdom wed his commoner bride in a series of ceremonies at a 17th-century monastic fortress Thursday. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
  • ASSOCIATED PRESS
    Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, center, and Queen Jetsun Pema, center left, dance the traditional final dance with guests at the main stadium, as part of their wedding celebrations in Thimphu, Bhutan, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The 31-year-old reformist monarch of the small Himalayan Kingdom wed his commoner bride in a series of ceremonies at a 17th-century monastic fortress Thursday. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
  • ASSOCIATED PRESS
    Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, left, and Queen Jetsun Pema greet locals in the crowd at the main stadium as part of their wedding celebrations in Thimphu, Bhutan, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The 31 year-old reformist monarch of the small Himalayan Kingdom wed his commoner bride in a series of ceremonies at a 17th century monastic fortress Thursday. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)

THIMPHU, Bhutan >> Tens of thousands of Bhutanese have crammed into a stadium in the capital for a reception celebrating the wedding of their beloved king to their new queen.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck married Jetsun Pema in a Buddhist ceremony Thursday in the Himalayan mountain kingdom.

Their wedding was celebrated with a huge reception Saturday where the couple shared their first public kiss.

Traditional dancers performed for them. Children put on a taekwondo demonstration and the prime minister and lawmakers danced with the king on the sports field.

The couple spent hours walking through the stands to shake hands and talk to their subjects.

Then thousands of people poured onto the field and formed concentric circles for a traditional final dance.

 

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