Authorities have announced the postponement of the annual Taungbyone nat festival amidst a nation-wide H1N1 outbreak.
The festival is held every August in the village of Taungbyone located just outside of Mandalay, and celebrates spirits, also known as nats. Perhaps more importantly, the event has also become an unofficial yet still rare rally for Myanmar’s LGBT groups. This year’s festival was slated to take place from July 31 to August 7.
However, after holding a meeting on Sunday, Mandalay officials have decided to postpone the festival this year while the country is trying to deal with an H1N1 — also known as swine flu — outbreak. The Ministry of Health announced on Sunday that at least 10 people had succumbed to the disease so far. Traces of H5N1 — or bird flu — have also been found in certain regions across the country, including Yangon.
Since H1N1 is transmitted from person to person, Mandalay authorities are worried that the festival, which sees hundreds of thousands of people packed into a relatively small area, might result in a rapid spreading of the disease.
“As the festival draws thousands of visitors from across the country, we believe it is the best way to postpone it until the situations are brought under control,” explained Mandalay Regional Chief Minister Zaw Myint Maung, as quoted by the Anadolu Agency.
However, festival organizers believe that festivalgoers will still turn up, especially due to the announcement being made so late. One organizer told the Myanmar Times that past attempts to halt the festival, including during the 1988 uprising, have failed and that this year will probably be no different.
