YANGON: Bogyoke Aung San Market, one of Yangon's best-known heritage landmarks, is marking its centenary with a five-day festival featuring traditional handicrafts, cultural performances and local products.
Running from Oct 7 to 11, the festival features more than 100 stalls selling textiles, gems and jewellery, handicrafts and food.
The celebrations also include a Myanmar Thanakha exhibition, puppet shows, 1970s-style musical performances and commemorative photo sessions featuring traditional ethnic costumes.
"We organised this festival to showcase the history of Bogyoke Aung San Market, one of Yangon's heritage landmarks," said Daw Chaw Su Htwe, an organiser of the centenary celebrations.
"We also hope visitors will gain a better understanding of the market's architecture and that the younger generation will learn about its rich history," she said.
Today, more than 1,800 shops operate in the market, selling jewellery, antiques, paintings, silk and cotton fabrics, handicrafts, and food. Known for its architecture and inner cobblestone streets, the market remains a popular tourist destination.
For shopkeepers who have spent years working there, the market's history has become closely intertwined with their own.
Daw Nyein Nyein Oo, who is in her 60s and has run Nyein Jewelry, a shop selling jade, gems, and jewellery, for about 20 years, said she has developed a strong attachment to the market.
"Before Covid-19, there were more foreign visitors, so business was very good. Now, things have become a little quieter," she said.
She welcomed the centenary celebrations, saying the event had brought more activity to the market and created memorable moments for shopkeepers and visitors.
Ma Su Su, a sales in-charge at Zaw Store, an arts and handicrafts shop, said the market also provides an opportunity to introduce Myanmar's traditional culture to international visitors.
"Apart from doing business, we also want people from around the world to know about Myanmar's traditional handicrafts," she said.
"Through these handicrafts, foreigners can learn about Myanmar's traditional culture, traditional musical instruments, puppetry and the traditions of our people," she added.
Artist and businesswoman Winn Thant Thant, founder of Iris Pandaya Creative Art Studio, participated in the celebrations with a booth showcasing artworks. She said she felt proud to work in a place with such a long history.
"Being able to work with art in a place that is more than 100 years old makes me feel especially proud, both as an artist and as a businessperson," she said.
For Daw Kay Khaing Oo, 49, a Yangon resident who has visited the market since she was about 20, its well-preserved character is part of its appeal.
"For me, the market hasn't changed. It is just like it was in the past," she said.
As Bogyoke Aung San Market marks its 100th anniversary, the celebrations highlight not only its long history but also its continuing role in Yangon's cultural life, where traditional crafts and cultural heritage are preserved and shared with new generations. - Xinhua
