Htamane Festival in Shwedagon: Yangon Region CM opened the festival

The annual Htamane-making competition was held at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon on Tuesday evening.

The event was officially opened by Yangon Region Chief Minister U Soe Thein. 32 teams comprising with departments under Shwedagon Pagoda Board of Trustee, religious associations, sculptors and partnership associations competed in the festival. Now in its 17th year at the pagoda, this festival highlighted Myanmar's cultural and religious heritage.

It brings people together to prepare Htamane, a cherished traditional glutinous rice delicacy of Myanmar. Htamane prepared at Shwedagon Pagoda were offered to monks and shared with the public on Wednesday, reflecting the festival's spirit of generosity and unity.

To celebrate the traditional Htamane festival, many competitions were held across the country on Tuesday evening, with the prepared Htamane then offered to monks and distributed as charity food to the people on Wednesday.