NOVEMBER
Hot Air Balloon Festival
Date : Full Moon Day of Tazaungmone
Location : Taunggyi, Southern Shan State
Duration : 3 days
The most spectacular event of the year is the Hot Air Balloon Festival held every November in Tazaungdaing Festival. Thousands of local pilgrims and international tourists choose to visit Taunggyi, especially to watch scores of giant paper animals being inflated and floated off into the sky. The competitions run during the day and at night when the sky is colourfully illuminated with hot air balloons. Hot air balloons in the shape of elephant, ox, horse, waterbuffalo, bird , pig, fish, owl and parrot are sent up into the sky.
Tazaungmone Full Moon Festival
Date : Full Moon of Tazaungmone
Location : Throughout the country
Duration : 1 day
After the rains, the monks would need new robes and on the fullmoon day, the offering of new robes for the monks are held. It is called the Kha Htein ceremony. Sets of new robes and other offerings such as slippers, umbrellas, alms bowl. food, towels, soap and other necessities are presented to monks. Cash offerings for monasteries are also collected and displayed on wooden frames built in the shape of a tree.
All Night Robe Weaving Contests
Date : Begins in evening before the Full Moon Day of Tazaungmone
Location : Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, and other pagodas throughout the country
Duration : The whole night
In the evening of the Full Moon Day, teams of weavers complete to finish a monk's robe during the night, to be offered to Buddha images at dawn the next day. It is a major event at the Shwedagon Pagoda. This ritual was once practised both in the palace during the time of monarchy and villages.
Shwezigon Pagoda Festival
Date : Full Moon Day of Tazaungmone
Location : Nyaung U, near Bagan, Mandalay Region
Duration : 15 days
On the Full Moon Day, there is a ritual of offering a filled alms bowl to a thousand and more monks and novices. Lacquerware, glazed pots and hand woven cotton blankets are sold by villagers living in the region at this great country fair.
Phowintaung Pagoda Festival
Date : One day before Full Moon Day of Tazaungmone
Location : Monywa, Sagaing Region
Duration : 2 days
Like other pagoda festivals with the usual entertainment provided. Myanmar thanaka, sandawood and woven textiles ( cotton blankets and longyis mainly ) can be bought at the various stalls around the pagoda area.
Shwesandaw ( Pyay ) Pagoda Festival
Date : Full Moon Day of Tazaungmone
Location : Pyay, Bago Region
Duration : 1 day
Shwesandaw Pagoda is one of the Myanmar's biggest Buddhist pilgrimage sites and the festival of this pagoda is one of the most visited festivals for pilgrims all over the country. During the festival, the sacred tooth hall which contains a Buddha tooth relic is opened for devotees.