YANGON, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Sunlight glints off the gilded spires of the Botahtaung Pagoda against a clear, pale blue sky in downtown Yangon. Tens of thousands of devotees have gathered here to pay homage to the Buddha during the Thadingyut Festival, one of Myanmar's most cherished occasions for family reunions and religious devotion.
On the full moon day of the festival, which marks the Buddha's descent from heaven, the pagoda compound hums with the footsteps of pilgrims and visitors.
"Since the Full Moon Day of Thadingyut coincides with my daughter's birthday, our family comes to the pagoda to perform meritorious deeds," said Ei Phyu, a local resident from Yangon.
During the three-day festival, which ran from Oct. 25 to 27 this year, her family lights oil lamps at home, makes donations, and prepares rice, meals and curries to offer to Buddhist monks and share with neighbours, she said on the sidelines of a candle-lighting event held by the pagoda's Board of Trustees on the evening of the full moon day.
Devotees like Ei Phyu are part of a vast wave of worshippers gathering at sacred landmarks across Myanmar. While Botahtaung Pagoda typically welcomes 4,000 to 5,000 visitors on a standard day, daily attendance leaps to between 30,000 and 70,000 during major religious holidays, according to U Aung Myat, a member of the pagoda's Board of Trustees.
The festive spirit extends far beyond Yangon, lighting up regions like Bagan and Kyaukse with hot-air balloon releases, live music concerts, and traditional contests.
In Kyaukse Town, located in the Mandalay Region, the famed Kyaukse Elephant Dance Competition stood out as a highlight of the weekend festivities.
U Tin Aung, who has served as a judge for the competition for over two decades, emphasized the heritage behind the spectacle. He noted that the 75-year-old tradition plays a vital role in preserving local cultural identity.
The Thadingyut Festival is a time for paying respect to elders and reuniting with family members who work in different places, he said, noting that the Kyaukse elephant dance festival also reflects these values, bringing people from towns and villages together in celebration.
Beyond offering ordinary citizens a welcome respite from daily hardships, the festival serves as a vital economic engine for local governments aiming to stimulate grassroots commerce and support small entrepreneurs.
In the ancient city of Bagan, market fairs showcasing traditional foods and products from micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) were held alongside traditional balloon releases in the pagoda-dense archaeological zone, according to U Myo Min Aung, deputy director of the Hotels and Tourism Development Implementation and Training Department in Bagan.
At People's Square in Yangon, Khin Thida Tun, owner of Pyae Thanakha, sold various value-added products made from thanakha, a natural cosmetic paste made from the ground bark, wood or roots of the thanakha tree, on the sidelines of a four-day Thadingyut fair featuring live performances and an MSME market fair.
"I'm thrilled to participate as an MSME owner because it gives us a chance to promote our brand locally and network with other businesses," she said, adding that her booth welcomed roughly 100 regular customers and new visitors in a single day. ■
