Ko Gyi Kyaw Nat Festival

The Ko Gyi Kyaw Nat Festival is held all over Myanmar, but the most important is held at a village in Pakhan Ngae about an hour’s drive from Pakokku in Magwe Region. The primary nat hall is situated, across the river. We need to go early, because thousands will wait for the very few boats.

In the 11^th Century, King Anawrahata of Pagan was converted to Buddhism, but in a most enlightened way, he did not forbid his subjects from worshipping their animistic spirits or nats. There is a nat for each job or profession, a nat for each village or even a house nat. And nats must be appeased to stop them doing harm.

Ko Gyi Kyaw is very particular about what he likes to eat and drink and do at his annual pwe and the people know this. He must be presented with coconuts, bananas, rice, tealeaf salad or laphat, He loves drinking toddy or indeed any form of alcohol. He loves cockfighting, gambling, betel, cigarettes and dancing.

It is a duty in Myanmar to attend the Ko Gyi Kyaw Nat Festival each year and many travel hugely long distances to do so. If your business has done well, then you are going to pay respect and give thanks. If you have done badly, then you go to pay homage and ask for Ko Gyi Kyaw’s blessing.

Along both sides of the road for many miles villagers stand holding (and shaking) silver coloured bowls. They are cashing in (literally) on the visitors to the pwe. The money they receive does not go – as I first thought – to the village hosting the pwe. It goes towards mending their village road or buildings.

We needed all the help we could get from Ko Gyi Kyaw when we reached the riverbank. Hundreds of people with large bags were crowding into the boat. By the time we left the jetty it was standing room only and I wondered if I would be able to save my passport if the boat went down.

Safely across on the other side we had a celebratory cup of coffee and watched as two streams of bullock carts ferried folk in two different directions. One carried pwe goers to the festivities, the other was taking people to a place (or many places) where they could sleep for the 12 or 13 nights that the pwe was on. In their huge bags were blankets that they would need for sleeping on the ground in the open air because it is cold at night.

Ko Gyi Kyaw