The Taungbyone Festival (Burmese: တောင်ပြုန်းပွဲတော်; also spelt Taungbyon) is one of the most well-known festivals among the people of Myanmar, held annually in honour of the Taungbyon nat brothers or the two brothers of Taungbyone village. Actually it is the festival of the two pagodas, by the name of Sutaungpyae built by King Anawrahta and the later-built Sutaungya. The pagodas' festival is designated to be celebrated for two days, from the eighth waxing day to the tenth of the Burmese month of Wagaung. At the same time, the nat festival is held alongside that of the pagodas.[1]
Taungbyone festival is very crowded with people coming from various parts of the country during the festival days in August. A special ritual program is carried out each day. More popularly, the spirit-mediums' dance is a major aspect of the festival and occurs throughout the days.
The festival is not only a place for those who take the cult of nat within the sphere of Burmese Theravada Buddhism but a place for those who seek fun. One can watch folk dramas, ceremonial dance and find opportunities to gamble, socialize and drink.[2]
- ^ "ကိုးကွယ်ယုံကြည်သူတို့ရဲ့ပွဲတော်တောင်ပြုံး" [Taungbyone festival for those who propitiate the nats]. News and Periodical Enterprise, Myanmar (in Burmese). 16 August 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ "Taungbyon Spirit Festival".