Traditional Festivals are always held across the Union of Myanmar every year especially in the open season that is the end of rainy season and the beginning of cold season. One of the nationally renowned festivals is Kyaukse Elephant Festival.

Kyaukse, 32 miles south of Mandalay, is in Mandalay Division. In October every year, it is a tradition kept for years to pay homage to the ShweThaHlyaung Tooth Relic Pagoda accompanied by Elephant Dance Festival, Elephant Dance Competitions and offering of elephant figurines. (Stand)

With the festivities, the whole town is bright and beautiful.

The venue at the foot of rocky ShweThaHlyaung Hill becomes alive with preparations for the Elephant Festival and the displayed of many elephant figurines.

Very soon, Kyaukse Elephant Festival is formally opened. All the elephant figures decorated for displayed or for competitions dance in unison in various patterns to the tune of traditional music. The audience is delighted, capturing the festival mood.

(Interview Tourist)

Another interesting thing is the transformation of celebrating Kyaukse Elephant Festival since ancient times. Once, the elephant figures were made with sticky rice batter. Later on, the figures were made with clay and golden or sliver paper pasted. Then bamboo and paper were used to make two-ft high figurines.

After that, artisan U Nge of Kyaukse designed the elephant figure that can be entered by two men: one each at the front and the hind. The two men have to convey the figure and walk. From the workshop to one’s home, the elephant figure danced along the route. Since 1975, this kind of elephant figure entered Kyaukse Elephant Festival and it is still in vogue.

Nowadays, the dance patterns are also invented by adapting the postures and movements of a real elephant. It’s really awesome some to watch the stunts of climbing the ladder, standing on top of the ladder, making a head stand and then descending the ladder. These stunts need the right balance, correct timing, precision control and cooperation. As the show is so alive we feel as if the real elephant is dancing and we totally forget the two men inside the figure.

Every year in October, not only the guests but also the locals who have been among on their business gather here to celebrate the Kyaukse Elephant Festival. The whole town is bustling and everyone is shining and smiling.

About 50 to 100 elephant dance teams from Kyaukse and its vicinity join the Elephant Dance Competition. There are three categories: traditional elephant dance, decorated elephant dance and calf dance.

The traditional elephant is in black, the decorated elephant is beautifully and colourfully sequined and the calf for young beginners.

According to Myanmar culture, the participants traditionally make obeisance before joining the competition.

Here is one of the events with an interesting episode. Firstly, you’ll see the meeting of a wild elephant and an elephant-tamer. On the other side, you’ll see the worried family members wife and son of the elephant tamer.

It’s really exiting to see the confrontation the threatening wild elephant and the brave man. Even though the participants are student youths, there’s no pitfall. Under the sun, the whole team comprising with the music players, the singer, the presenter, the elephant dancers, the elephant tamer, the wife and the son performed perfectly.

The menacing threat of wild elephant with his tusks, the speed and fast movement of the tamer are so alive and so natural. Finally, the tamer achieves victory by subduing the wild elephant and they joyously take part in the Elephant Festival. The audience heartily applause for the brilliant performance. These are the scenes of Kyaukse Traditional Elephant Festival which Myanmar people cherish and value.