Hot-air balloon festival returns after two years

This photo taken on November 6, 2022 shows revellers preparing lanterns to attach to hot-air balloons during the Tazaungdaing Lighting Festival at Pyin Oo Lwin Township in Mandalay. (Photo by AFP)

Thousands of people have gathered in the hills of central Myanmar for the annual Tazaungdaing light festival that marks the end of the rainy season with a fiery nighttime display of exploding hot-air balloons.

The celebrations in the former British hill station of Pyin Oo Lwin have not been held for two years because of the pandemic and unrest following a military coup.