Large crowds gather at Shwedagon Pagoda and other temples on Waso Full Moon Day

On the Waso full moon day of the Buddhist year 1387 (Dhammasetkya Festival Day), which fell on July 9, large numbers of devotees visited Shwedagon Pagoda and other pagodas.

At Shwedagon Pagoda, pilgrims and visitors performed various meritorious deeds, including paying homage, observing the Five Precepts, and offering flowers, water, and oil lamps. They also donated medicines and drinking water.

On Waso full moon day (July 9, 2025), the Dhammasetkya Festival ceremony and the Waso Robe Offering Ceremony were held at the sacred Shwedagon Pagoda. Additionally, ceremonies dedicated to Buddhist Lent, as well as events for lay devotees to observe the precepts, also took place.In the months ahead, several significant Buddhist ceremonies are scheduled: on the Wagaung full moon day (August 8, 2025), the Metta Festival and offering of 84,000 flowers; on the Tawthalin full moon day (September 6, 2025), the Garudhamma Festival; on Thadingyut Eve (October 5, 2025), the Thadingyut Lighting Festival; and on Thadingyut full moon day (October 6, 2025), the Abhidhamma Festival.

Starting from Waso full moon day until Thadingyut full moon day, on every full moon, new moon, and quarter moon day, special ceremonies are arranged at Shwedagon Pagoda for devotees to observe the precepts under the guidance of senior monks from the Shwedagon Pagoda Trustees’ Association.

Similarly, at Botahtaung Pagoda, large crowds gathered to engage in religious activities, including worship, observing precepts, and making offerings to the Sangha.Crowds flock to the Maha Muni Pagoda in Mandalay on the Waso Full Moon Day



On the Waso full moon day of the Myanmar calendar year 1387 (Dhammasetkya Festival Day), large numbers of pilgrims gathered at the sacred Maha Muni Pagoda in Mandalay Region.

U Myo Win, Chairman of the Maha Muni Pagoda Trustee Board, explained: “Today, the pagoda is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Only the east entrance is open; the others are still under repair because of structural weakness. Today, quite a lot of people have come to the pagoda. The face of the Buddha image itself cannot yet be re-gilded. Once the structural repairs are fully completed and we receive permission after an official blessing ceremony, we’ll be able to do it. On other days, the gates are closed, but pilgrims can still come to pay respects. On every Uposatha (observance) day, men can offer gold leaf directly onto the statue, while women may place gold leaf into offering boxes to be applied on their behalf.”

The Maha Muni Pagoda suffered approximately 70 per cent damage as a result of the earthquake that struck around noon on March 28, 2025.

Many Buddhist devotees were seen engaging in acts of merit inside the temple grounds, such as washing the sacred statue, offering flowers and fruits, making wishes and prayers, and feeding fish and turtles.

The Waso full moon day is regarded by Buddhists as a deeply sacred and significant day: it commemorates the day Prince Siddhartha was conceived, the day he renounced worldly life to become an ascetic, and the day he delivered his first sermon as the Buddha.

(2025/07/10-00:00)