It is almost impossible to visit Mandalay two of the hundreds of Burmese festivals that are celebrated across the country throughout the year. Cultural or religious events, these festivals are a mixture of colour and pageantry, music and dancing. For more information, you can click: Indochina tour Myanmar
The Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda Festival
The Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda Festival is a four day long Buddhist holiday held in the city of Mandalay. A curious blend of carnival style attractions and activities, and Buddhist religious ceremonies, the Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda Festival is a lively event attended by thousands of Mandalay’s residents as well as pilgrims that travel from across Myanmar to participate in the event. Over the course of the festival a lively market springs to life on the temple grounds. Hundreds of food and vendor stalls sell everything from religious iconography and traditional cuisine to household goods. The vendors and pilgrims will both donate heavily to the Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda’s alms bowls filling the vessels with money, grain, and other items that the Buddhist clergy will use to sustain themselves through the coming year. The red robbed monks lead numerous prayer rituals throughout the celebration for the hundreds of visitors that amble through the inner sanctuary of the temple.
When to experience this festival?
The Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda Festival usually starts in October, but the dates can shift several weeks each year as Myanmar’s holidays are determined using a traditional lunar calendar that changes with the phases of the moon. Advance planning is recommended if you’re interested in experiencing the Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda Festival so you can make appropriate arrangements and confirm the festival dates well in advance of your tour in Mandalay.
Who:
Cultural enthusiasts find the mixture of a country carnival and devout religious event an enticing reason to visit the city of Mandalay during this ancient Buddhist festival. The lively atmosphere, complete with neon lighting and modern music, practically hums along the reverent prayers and sermons of the Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda’s red robbed clergy. Myanmar travel tours
The festival is held in and around the Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda located in the city of Mandalay. Mandalay is best reached by a direct flight from Yangon.
Appropriate Attire :
It’s best to dress in modest attire while attending Buddhist religious ceremonies and festivals held on consecrated ground. Areas within the Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda will also require visitors to remove their shoes before entering.
Waso Chinlone Festival
What is that sport festival?
The Waso Chinlone Festival is Myanmar’s largest traditional sporting event.
Chinlone (Cane Ball) is an ancient noncontact sport similar to modern day Hacky Sacky. A team of six stands in a small circle attempts to keep a small ball aloft using only their feet, knees, shoulders, and head. Team members trade off as the center player in the circle while the other five players assist. As much a form of dance or martial art as it is a sport, Chinlone is scored by player performance. The players perform spellbindingly aerobatic maneuvers to keep the ball aloft, and victors are determined by how beautifully they play the game. Hundreds of teams gather from across Myanmar for the Waso Chinlone Festival in Mandalay every year. Though the traditional sport lacks direct contact or opposition of from other teams, it’s still a fierce competition with every team and player attempting to perform the most skillfully and gravity defying moves they can to keep the tiny Chinlone ball in the air. Backflips, spinning kicks, and handstands are just a few of the moves used in the game that boasts more than 200 aerobatic strikes used by players.
When:
The festival is held from 29th June to 9 July this year near the Mahamuni pagoda in Mandalay.
Who :
Cultural enthusiasts need little convincing to witness this ancient sport that traces its origins back some 1,500 years to the royal courts of ancient Burma. The balletlike movements of the Chinlone players are awe inspiring, and should not be missed while sightseeing in Myanmar. The Waso Chinlone Festival runs for more than a month at the Maha Muni Pagoda in Mandalay with hundreds of teams from across Myanmar participating.
Appropriate Attire :
The sporting event takes place inside the Maha Muni Pagoda’s compound, so it’s best to dress modestly when attending. Choose clothing that covers shoulders to knees in keeping with Buddhist traditions of modesty.
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