Religion
Owing to Tibetan influence, the Layap practice a mixture of Bön and Tibetan Buddhism. According to legend, Laya village is the spot where Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the founder of Bhutan, first entered the country.
Particularly unique among the Layap is the extensive tradition of "living defilements" (Dzongkha: soen drep), whereby a ritually impure person is ostracized from social activities. The Layap shun "living defilements" in order not to anger deities, and to avoid physical maladies and livestock plagues. Among ritually impure acts are birth, divorce, and death, including the death of a horse.
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