Myanmar’s most dazzling and dangerous festival (PHOTOS)
Onlookers celebrate as fireworks attached to a balloon explode on the ground beneath it.
TAUNGGYI, Myanmar — The Tazaungdaing Lighting Festival is such a spectacular event that it’s hard to believe it’s virtually unheard of outside Myanmar.
The festival occurs in a remote northern corner of this country, drawing thousands of revelers to the mountainous, insurgency-ridden Shan State.
To the initiated, it’s one of the most beautiful festivals in all of Southeast Asia — a region that knows how to celebrate.
But if you decide to go, be forewarned that the risks are significant.
To celebrate the long-anticipated end of the rainy season, hundreds of hot-air balloons are unleashed. Many contain fireworks.
The danger arises from a potent cocktail: The balloons are filled with explosives — gas — that aren’t intended to explode, and laced with explosives that are. Balloons have been known to collapse in fireballs on the festival ground, engulfing unsuspecting patrons.
Unfortunately, the November 2014 celebration, from which these photos were taken, was no different. Four people lost their lives, and 12 others were injured.
Aside from these massive ornamental balloons, there are also elements of the Lighting Festival that make it one of the most peculiar events in the region — such as a man-powered Ferris wheel, curious carnival games and cruel animal shows.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.