Buddhist nuns line up to relocate Buddha statues that have been retrieved from a collapsed building at the Myawaddy Nunnery in Mandalay on Sunday, April 13, 2025, following the devastating March 28 earthquake. -- Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP
MANDALAY, Myanmar (AFP): Thousands marked the start of Myanmar's water festival on Sunday in the ruins of last month's earthquake, with the country's most raucous holiday muted by the tragedy of the tremor.
The "Thingyan" festival typically celebrates Myanmar's new year with water-splashing rituals symbolising cleansing and renewal, but the central cities of Mandalay and Sagaing lie devastated from the 7.7-magnitude quake.
