The moon came closer to the earth last night than it has been in 69 year, according to NASA. The event coincided with the Tazaungmone Full Moon Day on the Myanmar calendar, giving the day added significance to the thousands of local social media users who sought to capture the moment.
Weather forecaster Dr Htun Lwin told 7Day Daily: “When the moon approaches our earth to such a close proximity, people from our country grow worried about rumors that earthquakes or tsunamis will follow. However, the current weather condition is stable.”
To the human eye, the so-called supermoon was 14-30 per cent larger than the moon usually appears. The phenomenon is not expected to occur again before 2034.
Around Myanmar, families celebrated the Tazaungmone Full Moon Day by setting up studitha stalls to distribute free food to the public.
Throughout kahtein, the period between the Thadingyut Festival in min-October and the Tazaungadaing Festival this week, neighborhoods also held competitions over which could donate the most provisions to local monks and monasteries.
Hot air balloon festivals also culminated last night in Taunggyi, Shan State, and Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Region.
You can read more about this festive period in the Myanmar calendar here.
