Dancing Elephants Festival, Myanmar

In the town of Kyaukse, about 40km southeast of Mandalay, you’ll find no actual elephants dancing, but pairs of men in huge elephant costumes, who dance to the rhythm to dobat drums. The dancers pay homage to the Shwe Tha Lyaung Pagoda by circling the hill and its pagoda three times. Their elephant costumes can take months to complete, being assembled from bamboo, fabric, gold foil, satin, ribbons, and glass gems. The dancers participate in both a parade and a dance competition, and are judged on their dancing, their costume construction, and the music and singing involved. (Myanmar Tourism Ministry)