A girl celebrates during the traditional Thadingyut Lighting Festival in Yangon, Myanmar, Oct. 31, 2020. (Xinhua/U Aung)
by Khin Zar Thwe
YANGON, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has put a damper on mass gatherings and festival celebrations in Myanmar in more than seven months since the first case was detected here in late March.
The coronavirus restrictions including the closure of schools or workplaces and the ban on social gatherings, as well as the increasing number of infections, have forced people to stay indoors, and cancel the celebration of the biggest traditional festival, Thingyan Water Festival in April.
But now, there comes the auspicious lighting festival of Thadingyut, which falls on the middle day of the seventh month of the Myanmar calendar year.
The full moon day of traditional Thadingyut Lighting Festival is marked on Saturday and celebrations started Friday this year.
In past years, the festival was joyfully celebrated with crowds strolling down the streets while enjoying the festive atmosphere, with the noise from fairgrounds and houses decorated with colorful paper lanterns and candles.
The festive days, which are made public holidays, used to boost domestic tourism with express train tickets sold out ahead of the festival and hotels, motels and inns fully occupied by travelers.
Currently, crowds are nowhere to be found and the busy streets of Yangon are silent amid the decorating lights.
Under the existing travel bans by the government, people can only stay home.
However, under the new normal, family ties have become closer after the members spending a lot of time together in COVID-19 isolation. And people have also found new way of living joyfully, as well as celebrating the lighting festival in safer ways, by focusing more on adorning homes with lanterns, colorful bulbs to rid of the pandemic gloom instead of having fun outdoors.
"Staying indoors all the time is kind of devastating for me who is outgoing and gregarious, but my family helped me lift the mood. Now, I have become a homebody after enjoying time with my family in making handmade lanterns to decorate our rooms and cooking meals together as part of celebrating the festival," Zin Zin, a 20-year-old university student told Xinhua.
According to Myanmar people's religious belief, on the night of the Thadingyut festival, the people light candles and colorful paper lanterns in their homes to mark the day of welcoming the descend of Buddha back to earth after preaching his mother reborn in heaven.
As part of the tradition, younger people also pay homage to elders including parents and teachers and ask for pardon for their wrong behaviors and in return, the elders give them back love and forgiveness, wishing them all the best in the future and sometimes giving them pocket money.
"I have never imagined that we would pay homage to our grandparents through online video call, but it is a safe and refreshing way to avoid spreading the disease rather than visiting them in person," Zin Zin said.
People miss the festive nights in the past, which were filled with the joyful laughter, sound of music and noise of crowds. This year, the night amid silence is filled with their wishes to end the pandemic gloom soon.
