What were pilgrims praying for during the latest Thadingyut Festival circulating around the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon?
Typically, the Light Festival of Myanmar, held on the full moon day of the Burmese lunar month of Thadingyut, sees Yangon residents throng Shwedagon. But this year there appeared to be a substantial uptick in people traveling in from across crisis-hit Myanmar.
Working class people and people from a wide spread of Myanmar townships came this week to pay homage and make merit.
As is custom, Thadingyut is held at the end of the Buddhist sabbath or Vassa and is the second most popular festival in Myanmar after Thingyan Festival, the New Year Water Festival. Thadingyut festival is the celebration to welcome the Buddha’s descent from the heaven after he preached the Abhidhamma to his mother, Maya, who was reborn in the heaven.
Visiting pilgrims had a lot on their minds, not least the Myanmar civil war that in one form another touches everybody’s lives, but also the recent massive flooding that struck many parts of Myanmar this year. While much of the flooding has gone down, the monsoon still appeared to be hanging around with some areas recently hit by further heavy rain. Anecdotally, it appeared many pilgrims from “out of town” crisis-hit regions sought solace and better luck as the country wallows in man-made and natural problems. Some, it would appear, had never visited Shwedagon – Yangon’s jewel – before. Temple staff noted an increase in devotees this year.
Over three years after the February 2021 military coup, Myanmar is becoming a basket case, a country ruled by a brutal dictator who is rejected by most of the people. The overall crisis is worsening as the junta increasingly targets civilians and seeks to round up thousands of unwilling youth to add to the ranks of their tired soldiers – cannon fodder to be slaughtered.
The Spring Revolution, launched in 2021 against the junta, is picking up momentum, with the fight-back occasionally reverberating on the streets of Yangon, occasional explosions rattling the calm of Myanmar’s commercial capital.
Whatever news the devotees are able to pick up makes grim reading and watching, as peacemakers and regional and international players struggle to find a solution to the conflict. The recent ASEAN summit highlighted the Myanmar crisis as a blistering sore in Southeast Asia. But the forum’s Five-Point Consensus is in tatters – all hope and little action. Say critics – as regional countries continue to engage with the distasteful junta.
Prayers are indeed needed as the Myanmar people seek an end to their nightmare. But real action is needed from the international community if there is to be any chance of turning the tables on the brutal military junta.
