Thadingyut Light Festival Tour

What is Thadingyut Light Festival?

The Thadingyut Light Festival marks the end of Myanmar’s Buddhist Lent.

As the sun sets the night before the full moon, candles are lit across the country in an ancient tradition said to mark the descent of Buddha from heaven. Homes and business are wrapped in both electrical lights and candle lanterns, and the soft, guttering flames give a particularly spiritual atmosphere to the numerous Buddhist pagodas that dot the landscape.

Traditional musical plays called Zat Pwes are performed on special stages erected in the streets for the festival. Markets erupt near many of the Buddhist temples and shrines selling traditional foods, religious iconography, and even household items. Long lines of pilgrims, often dressed in colorful native costumes, proceed through towns and cities often visiting multiple shrines and temples throughout the three day event to pay their respects, offer alms, and be blessed by the red robbed monks who preside over Myanmar’s heavily Buddhist population.

When is Thadingyut Light Festival?

The Thadingyut Light Festival usually takes place between October and November. Buddhists festival dates in Myanmar are chosen using the country’s traditional lunar calendar, which can shift times for religious holidays several weeks each year to align the dates with the correct phases of the moon. If you’re interested in attending the Thadingyut Light Festival, our Travel Specialists can make appropriate arrangements for your luxury tour of Myanmar, and confirm the timing of the festival.

Thadingyut Light Festival Highlights:

The striking atmosphere of this traditional Buddhist fair adds a distinct flavor to the entire country that draws cultural enthusiasts like moths to flame.

Where is Thadingyut Light Festival Celebrated?

The Thadingyut Light Festival is celebrated countrywide, though the festival is at its most robust in larger cities like Yangon and Mandalay where there a numerous Buddhist pagodas in close proximity to each other.

Appropriate Attire:

When attending religious festivals in Myanmar, it’s best to dress in conservative clothing in keeping with Buddhist senses of modesty.