A Visit to Moe-Kaung Pagoda Festival by Junior Win

(From the 21st December to the 31st December 2018, Moe-Kaung Pagoda Festival was held.)

Moe-Kaung pagoda at Yankin township, located in the northern part of Rangoon, where the pagoda festival was held in every December. As my grandma (Khin Myo Chit) wrote, ‘Every pagoda has an annual festival.’, this month is a month of Moe-Kaung pagoda festival. The festival stayed for a week, sometimes two weeks, so people could look forward to the days of enjoyment.

(The place where the Moe-Kaung pagoda stands today. Seen behind the busy road, and trees.)

The locality is a busy road with daily traffic and people around. There was a large estate of Moe-Kaung monastery near the Moe-Kaung Pagoda. Monks and lay devotees always care and do maintenance for the Pagoda. The season festival on every December always takes place in the Moe-Kaung pagoda ground. So, there were trade fairs, and colourful goods from all over the country were seen in the place at the festival.

(Dried-fish.)

Moe-Kaung festival celebrated on the grounds around the pagoda. We would see the grounds are filled with rows of market stalls with temporary roofs. There were also merry-go-rounds, and ferris wheels, and musical shows, and Burmese theatres. I loved to walk between the varieties of Burmese snacks and to try it just for a little. Products from all over Burma are there – baskets, mats, bags, handwoven textiles, etc.

(People enjoyed Burmese foods and snacks.)

(Burmese foods.)

(Merry-go-round)

(Maps.)