Photos: Myanmar boat festival returns after pandemic

Thousands of devotees join waterborne procession in one of the country's biggest festival

Last updated: October 19, 2023 | 13:31

Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Senior Web Editor and with inputs from AFP

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Nyaungshwe: Thousands of Buddhists took to boats on Myanmar's famed Inle Lake on Thursday to celebrate the return of one of the nation's biggest festivals.

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The seventeen-day Phaung Daw Oo pagoda festival sees four sacred Buddha images placed on a golden barge and rowed through villages that dot the shores of the tourist hotspot in eastern Shan state.

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The coronavirus pandemic and then the military's 2021 coup cancelled the three previous editions of the festival, denying locals the chance to worship the images and gain merit.

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On Thursday morning, the golden barge zipped through the cool water, towed by sleek wooden longboats crewed by men rowing in the local fashion - a leg wrapped around their oar to gain more push.

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Dozens of boats filled with worshippers followed as the sun rose, the sounds of drums and cymbals accompanying the flotilla.

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Devotees rowing as they follow the four sacred Buddha images placed on a golden barge during the festival of Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda in Inle Lake, Myanmar's Shan State.

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Devotees rowing as they follow the four sacred Buddha images placed on a golden barge during the festival of Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda in Inle Lake, Myanmar's Shan State.

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Devotees row the golden barge carrying the four sacred Buddha images during the festival of Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda in Inle Lake, Myanmar's Shan State.

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