Bagan hosted an official sky lantern festival for the first time

From October 25 to 27, an official Sky Lantern Festival was held for the first time in Bagan, Myanmar, organized by the tourism department of the military authorities. Each evening, about 1,000 lanterns were launched over the temple complex — a UNESCO World Heritage site. The celebration was timed to Thadingyut, the Festival of Lights, marking the end of the Buddhist Lent.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 1 November 2026 at 08:462 min read

The key facts

An official sky lantern festival was held in Bagan for the first time (October 25–27)
Organized by the tourism department of the military authorities; about 1,000 lanterns each evening
The celebration coincided with Thadingyut — the end of the three-month Buddhist Lent

A thousand lanterns over the ancient temples

From October 25 to 27, Bagan — Myanmar's ancient temple complex inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List — hosted an official sky lantern festival for the first time. According to Euronews, it was organized by the tourism department of the country's military authorities, with the stated aim of attracting visitors: each evening, about 1,000 paper lanterns were launched over the temples.

A traditional holiday and a new format

The festival coincided with Thadingyut, also known as the Festival of Lights. This holiday marks the end of the Buddhist Lent — a three-month period of religious practices during the rainy season — and is dedicated to the Buddha's return from the celestial world after preaching to his mother; traditionally it is celebrated with lit candles and lanterns, as well as family gatherings and paying respect to elders. According to Euronews, families launched lanterns over the centuries-old temples, while pilgrims came from all over the country to pray, make offerings, and take part in the three-day celebrations.

What's new

The fundamental difference this year is the format itself: the official Sky Lantern Festival in Bagan was held for the first time, and its organizer was precisely the tourism department of the military authorities. Thus, this year the traditional folk festivities were complemented by a state-organized event aimed at tourists; sources do not report on the reaction of pilgrims and visitors, nor on the consequences for the tourism industry.