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, on October 19.
Nyaungshwe, Myanmar – 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, but the devotees’ joy was laced with the sorrow of war.
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.
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.
