Rakhine traditional Sand Stupa Festival held in Sittwe beach
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NP News - Mar 6
Sand Stupa Festival (in Rakhine: Shaik Thaung Myauk Pagoda Festival) was held on the beach of Sittwe in Rakhine State with hundreds of local visitors on March 5.
The festival was organized by Thaki Mandaing Rakhine Cultural Association; and it has been 15 years that the association has been organizing the festival, Kyaw Zin Maung, chairman of the association told NP News.
The Chairman of Thaki Mandaing Rakhine Cultural Association Kyaw Zin Maung said, “The history of this Shaik Thaung Myauk Pagoda Festival is based on the philosophy of worshiping eighty-four thousand sacred statues of Buddha. There have been Shaik Thaung Pagodas (representing 80,000 statues of Buddha) and Koe Thaung Pagodas (representing 90,000 statues of Buddha) Since Mrauk-U era in Rakhine State. Historically, the festival has been celebrated on the beach of Rakhine State where the Sand Stupas were built on the sandy beach and water surrounded area. It is also called as Shaik Thaung Myauk Pagoda Festival from our cultural association.”
Rakhine traditional entertainment programs were involved in the entertainment of the festival.
“After finishing the Shaik Thaung Myauk Pagoda, we can’t go home. We have to stay till the tide has erosion those pagodas. This called the victory of the ceremony. Because it means the truth an impermanent body according to our Buddha’s speech. Became a sand pagoda and it has been erosion. We ‘human’ are also like that. We became a human being but we will be death one day. Like that,” the Chairman Kyaw Zin Maung explained.
At about 7:00 p.m. on March 5, the tide rose at Sittwe beach and after the pagodas that had been erected collapsed and were washed away, the Rakhine traditional the Shaik Thaung Myauk Pagoda ceremony was successfully completed.
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