Traditional Customs: Floods disrupt annual Inle PhaungdawOo Pagoda procession

The annual procession of Inle PhaungdawOo Pagoda’s Buddha images could not be held this year due to flooding in Nyaung Shwe and Inle regions.

Despite the lack of celebration, devotees from villages, including HeyaYwama, visited the PhaungdawOo Pagoda to offer meals, flowers, water, and gold foils. Every year, starting from the first waxing day of Thadingyut, the sacred Buddha images of Inle PhaungdawOo Pagoda journey to 21 locations around the Inle region.

The Buddha images are conveyed on a decorated barge towed by hundreds of leg-rowers. The procession makes a one-night stopover at designated locations, celebrating with traditional Shan dance, martial arts performances, and a traditional boat race.