Mt. Kyauktaw Pagoda festival to make limited return next week

By DMG 24 Apr 2021

DMG Newsroom
24 April 2021, Kyauktaw

A festival at the Mt. Kyauktaw Pagoda in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township will be held this year, after the annual religious gathering was cancelled the past two years due to fighting between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army (AA).

The pagoda festival is scheduled to be held on April 27, but unlike previous years, there will only be a recitation of Paritta, without festivities, according to the pagoda board of trustees and community elders.

Initially there were plans to include a boat race as part of the pagoda festival. But following a meeting between senior Buddhist monks, the pagoda board of trustees and community elders on Thursday, it was agreed that only a single-day festival would be held, without festivities, due to lingering instability in the area.

Some youths, however, are planning to organise the boat race by themselves, said community elder U Tun Khin.

“I heard that young people from urban parts of the town are planning to organise the boat race with their own funds. We haven’t allowed them to organise the boat race because things can happen at this time,” said U Tun Khin.

Kyauktaw resident Maung Ye Tun confirmed that young people are planning to organise a boat race on their own.

“The pagoda board of trustees has not given permission. This means they will not take responsibility if something happens. We also bore the costs for boat races in previous years. It’s a question of responsibility. They don’t want to get the blame if something bad happens,” Maung Ye Tun said.

In addition to the boat race, the pagoda festival normally includes wrestling and football competitions, tug-of-war, pillow fighting, a greased pole climbing competition, outdoor theatre performance and recitation of Paritta.