TAUNGGYI: A brightly patterned hot air balloon spitting fireworks soared into the night sky above Myanmar’s Shan state as a much-loved festival returned, but people stayed away from the military-backed event as violent clashes swell across the country.
Tuesday marked the return of the Tazaungdaing festival to the city of Taunggyi after a 3-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic and unrest following the military seizing power in 2021.
The usually riotous festival sees teams load batteries of fireworks into homemade hot air balloons, with referees judging both the contraptions’ design and the magnificence of their aerial explosions.
Military-managed Festival in Myanmar
But this year’s military-managed event was muted, with revelers staying away and a heavy presence of security personnel stationed as the junta battles coordinated attacks across the country.
Taunggyi lies towards the southwestern edge of Shan state, nearly 350 kilometers away from the state’s northeast, which has witnessed intense fighting since an armed alliance of ethnic minority groups launched an offensive against the junta on 27 October.
Masked soldiers deployed watch next to a signal-jamming truck in the city, and the shadows of others standing guard on the nearby hills were silhouetted against the dusk sky.
A convoy of 4-wheel-drive vehicles brought local dignitaries — some accompanied by pro-military militia bodyguards — to the stage, where they watched hundreds of college and school students perform synchronized dances.
In the spectators’ area across the fence — usually packed with revelers — spectators sat on blankets in small scattered groups.
Launching the hot air balloons requires teamwork and daring. Team members hold up large balloons and inflate them by holding flaming torches underneath.
Once it has filled with hot air, they attach a wooden frame full of fireworks, light the fuse, and release the balloon into the sky.
