YANGON (Xinhua): Myanmar celebrated its traditional Tazaungdaing festival, also known as the Festival of Lights on the full-moon day of Tazaungmone, the eighth month of the Myanmar calendar.

The pagodas across the country were crowded with people who perform meritorious deeds on the full moon day which falls on Friday this year, such as almsgiving, lighting candles, and offering flowers and fruits, Htay Hlaing, a member of the Shwedagon Pagoda Board of Trustees, told Xinhua.

Shwedagon Pagoda, one of Myanmar's most revered sites, saw an increase in visitors. While the pagoda typically welcomes about 40,000 pilgrims on regular days, visitors surged to around 100,000 on special occasions like Thadingyut and Tazaungdaing festivals, he said.

Some devotees remained at the pagoda overnight to participate in the traditional early-morning offering of freshly woven robes. This ceremony, in which robes are woven and offered to the pagoda on the full moon day at dawn, is one of the festival's key rituals, he added.

Wai Wai, 21, said that "the Tazaungdaing Festival is a cherished time for performing acts of merit. So, I visit the Shwedagon pagoda to offer flowers and water, viewing it as an important part of Myanmar's Buddhist culture."

Families also come together to mark the occasion, as Khin Pa Pa Lin, 44, said that "I come here with my seven family members. We plan to spend the entire day at the pagoda, bringing packed meals."

Maung Nyo, 63, expressed a deep sense of peace from spending the day at the pagoda, describing the festival as a cherished occasion for Myanmar people.

On the full moon day, besides pagodas, streets are also filled with alms offerings for monks and Satuditha or charity feasts serving people as part of merit-makings, he added. - Xinhua