We just happened to be in Yangon for the Tazaungdaing Festival or the Festival of Lights. (There is another Festival of Lights in
October called, Thadingyut, which celebrates the
anniversary of Buddha's descent to Earth and is the end of the Buddhist lent in
October.) The Tazaungdaing Festival marks the end of
the rainy season and a time in which monks are offered new robes and
alms. At the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon
there is an all-night robe-weaving competition.
We went to the pagoda during the day (we were not game for
the all night weaving vigil). It was
packed with people and very impressive. Archaeologists
have determined that the pagoda was built between the 6th and 10th centuries
but others believe the legend that it was built more than 2,600 years ago. The stupa is 326 feet high and its bricks are
covered in over 2000 gold plates. It is
estimated that the pagoda is covered in up to 60 tonnes of gold. The umbrella structure at the top contains
500 kilos alone. Although you can’t see
them from the ground, the crown is tipped with 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies.
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| Shwedagon Pagoda |
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| Panorama view |
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| Young nuns |
Back in downtown the streets were preparing for the all
night festivals. The busy roads were
blocked off from traffic and local communities set up presentation ceremonies
for the gifts to the monks.
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| Setting up for community presentations to the monks |
Groups of young men extorted donations from local business
by having dragons dance in their shops and on the streets outside.
After dark, with the supermoon rising in the east, the
streets erupted with all the fun of the fair.
A Ferris wheel spun around with flashing LED lights while young men
climbed through the girders. Girls
sported glowing devils horns. The street was packed with revellers, eating at
the hundreds of food stalls, buying trinkets and having a great time.
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| Like the red flashing devil horns |
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