Religious Ceremony: Senior General Joins 1,000 Oil Lights Offering Ceremony

Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and wife Daw Kyu Kyu Hla, Vice-Chairman of the State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win and wife, members and families of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air) joined the 1,000 oil lights offering ceremony at Shwephonepwint Pagoda in Zeyathiri Township of Nay Pyi Taw Council Area in line with the COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

The congregation led by the Senior General and wife opened the 1,000-oil light offering ceremony with the three-time recitation of Namo Tassa. The Senior General and wife and attendees offered flowers, water and oil lights at Shwephonepwint Pagoda and illuminated 1,000 oil lights at the platform of the pagoda. Myanmar celebrated the traditional Tazaungdaing festival on the full-moon day of the month of Tazaungmon on Thursday this year.

On the full moon day of Tazaungmon, the eighth month of the Myanmar calendar, Tazaungdaing Festival also known as the Festival of Lights is celebrated as a national holiday in Myanmar and marks the end of the rainy season. It also marks the end of the Kathina season, during which monks are offered new robes and alms.

At night of the full-moon day, Myanmar people have a salad of Mezali, flower-buds of the tree with full of medical values, usually boiled and seasoned with sesames, groundnut, fried garlic and other ingredients, in accordance with the country's traditional belief. As the Tazaungdaing festival is also called "Festival of Lights", colourful decorative items including light-bulbs and lanterns are seen hanging at almost every house across the country.