Phowintaung Buddha Pujaniya Festival to be held in archaeological site of Yinmabin Township, Sagaing Region has been postponed said Chairman of the Board of Trustees U Cho Oo.
“There is no pagoda festival. It has not been celebrated for two years now. It is celebrated from the 10th waxing day of Tazaungmon to the full moon of Tazaungmon.
The official pagoda festival starts on the 8th waxing day of the month. Later, it was held for 10 days due to fewer crowds,” said U Cho Oo.
People from Salingyi, Pale and Yinmabin mostly come and celebrate the pagoda festival.
As the pagoda festival and the spirit festival go hand in hand, it is a festival where the devotees from three townships gather and give alms at the pagoda festival.
“During the festival, people donate foods to 130 Buddhist monks from Salingyi, Pale and Yinmabin at around 9:10 am on the 14th waxing day of Tazaungmon. Pilgrims return on the morning of the full moon day,” U Cho Oo explained.
“They come to the pagoda festival in bullock carts, rest in groups in the forest and do good deeds on the morning of the full moon of Tazaungmon. After that they returned home,” a local said.
“In the age of motorcycles, the number of carts has decreased. There are only about 200 carts left. In the past, there were more than a thousand carts. There was no place for carts, so they huddled in the forest.
Now the cart is placed in the open space between Shweba Mountain and Phowin Valley,” said a Salingyi resident.
According to records, there are 185 pagodas within 7 miles from Yinmabin Township, Yinmabin District, Sagaing Region, including the historic Phowin Mountain and Ingyin Mountain. —Lu Lay/GNLM
