Ko Thar Myaung’s Harvest Moon Festival

Ko Thar Myaung turned the festival into the most talked about celebration in decades.

After months of working the fields and fishing through rainy days, the valley glowed

gold under the harvest moon. The Tazaungdaing Festival arrived and Ko Thar Myaung

refused to sit back. He lined up hundreds of clay oil lamps along the monastery walls,

each one perfectly spaced, wearing his special red silk longyi. Then disaster struck.

The community Mohinga was missing its secret ingredient, crispy fried gourd. Ko Thar Myaung sprinted

to his garden and returned with the finest gourds he'd grown himself. He sliced them with

his tiny kitchen knife and fried them to golden perfection. The village elders called it the best