PhaungdawU Pagoda ceremony held briefly this year

It is known from Inlay residents that the PhaungdawU Pagoda ceremony which had been suspended for three years, was held briefly this year.
The brief ceremony was held in front of the Inlay PhaungdawU Pagoda on 25 September.
“It has been three years since the festival was stopped due to Covid-19 and the political situation. It’s also because the economy is bad. This year it was briefly held again in the temple courtyard,” said a resident.
Inlay PhaungdawU Pagoda ceremony normally starts on the 1st waxing of Thadingyut in the Shweinntein area, and after 18 days of 21 itineraries in Inlay, the Buddha images returned to the original Yadana Chamber on the 3rd waxing of Thadingyut to end the ceremony.
Since the festival lasts fordays, many pilgrims come from all over the country. There were also traditional boat races in the past years.
Currently, only domestic pilgrims visit the pagoda. Locals also had to stop their businesses because of poor sales.
In the past, they depended on local and foreign pilgrims to sell their local products, so the more visitors there are, the more job opportunities the locals have,” said Ko Yar Zar, a boat driver.
At the brief event held on the morning of 25 September, there were only two tugboats, while at least 10 tugboats were usually used in the past.
In the last year 2020-2021, the pagoda festival was also held briefly as far as the Shweinntein area.
The PhaungdawU Pagoda regional festival is one of the prominent festivals in Myanmar, and it is also a festival that attracts tourists from around the world. — TWA/GNLM