Instability, COVID-19 prompt cancellation of Ponnagyun Twsp pagoda festival

By Hnin Nwe 18 Nov 2020

Hnin Nwe | DMG
18 November 2020, Sittwe

An annual pagoda festival in Arakan State’s Ponnagyun Township will not be held this year due to instability in the region and the coronavirus pandemic, according to the board of trustees for the Bae Ngar Yar (500 Ducks) Pagoda.

The trustees decided to cancel the event due to military tensions in the area and the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, said the board’s chairman, U Ba Htay.

“We decided to cancel the pagoda festival because we don’t want to cause commotion as the area is not stable, and also because we don’t want to attract crowds due to COVID-19,” he said.

The pagoda festival has been held annually on the Full Moon Day of Tazaungmone, and is celebrated by locals from 17 villages in Ponnagyun Township.

While the festivities will not take place this year, some locals said they would still undertake a trek up an area peak on the Full Moon Day of Tazaungmone, which is something of a local tradition.

“Whether the festival is held or not, we always climb the mountain on the Full Moon Day, and it has become a tradition,” said Ma Khin Than Nu from Yoe Tayoke village. “Last year, not many people went to the festival because parents did not allow their children out of fear of landmines. But the situation is not as bad as last year, and young people from our village will go and climb the mountain.”

The pagoda festival has been known to attract pilgrims not only from other parts of Arakan State and Myanmar, but also some foreign travellers.

In previous years, the celebration attracted thousands of visitors, but in 2019 the festival only drew some 500 people due to instability in the region. With the low attendance, the pagoda received fewer cash donations and its board of trustees has had difficulty maintaining the pagoda over the past year, trustees say.

The Bae Ngar Yar Pagoda is located about 1 mile west of the Yangon-Sittwe road, some 17 miles from Ponnagyun town, and is believed to be enshrined with Buddha relics.