According to U Min Aung Ngwe, a member of the organizing committee of the Mon traditional adorned bullock cart competition, the competition will be held during the Kamamo Pagoda Festival in Mon State’s Chaungzon Township, aiming to preserve the tradition of the Mon nationality.
The competition is scheduled to take place on 22 April, with the aim of preserving the cultural tradition of using adorned bullock carts for pilgrimages to Chaungzon Township’s Bilugyun Pagoda in ancient times. The competition follows five different scoring criteria, each worth 10 points. The cart with the highest total score will be awarded the first prize.
“In Chaungzon Township’s Bilugyun, the pagoda festivals are also known as the 64-Village Pagoda Festival because there are 64 villages in the area. These festivals are held annually, beginning on the eve of Thingyan and proceeding according to each village’s schedule. The Kamamo Village Pagoda Festival will also feature the traditional Mon adorned bullock cart competition. Contestants are required to decorate the carts, with local bombshells dressed in Mon ethnic costumes riding in them to participate in the competition,” said U Min Aung Ngwe.
More than 40 carts competed in the Mon traditional adorned bullock cart competition last year. — ASH/TH
