Ananda Temple Festival, Myanmar

Bagan’s great Ananda Pagoda hosts a religious festival and a social gathering that reunites old friends and families. Locals arrive in big bullock-carts and camp together during the entire duration of the festival. Within the temple, some 1,000 monks perform continuous chanting of scriptures for three days straight. Tourists can enjoy local food delicacies sold by vendors during the festival, watch a traditional theatre performance and comedy show that lasts for several hours, and get a genuine feel of the joyous mood. (Myanmar Tourism Ministry)