The night event, held across the city’s regional government office, was organised by the Myanmar military.
Festivities have not quite returned to pre-coup levels, when crowds once filled streets across the country.
But the return of dancing revellers, families lighting balloons, and people riding elephants are signs that some are beginning to lower their guard and return to public spaces.
“If we can engage with society during such festivals, our brain may produce happy hormones to help us cope with our daily lives,” said Aung Ko, a musician attending the event.
“I know conflicts are ongoing. But there are carnivals planned too. There’s a difference between pure enjoyment and relaxing one’s mind,” he added.
Scenes like these have slowly returned this year at events like night festivals and the Burmese New Year in April, when devotees began flocking back to the Shwedagon Pagoda – Myanmar’s most sacred Buddhist pagoda.
It is a stark contrast to 2021, when Myanmar’s streets were filled with protesters rallying against the coup. Flash mob demonstrations, once a hallmark of defiance, have largely disappeared.
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