The Taungbyone Festival (; also spelt Taungbyon) is one of the most well-known festivals among the people of Myanmar, held annually in honour of the Taungbyon nat brothers or the two brothers of Taungbyone village. Actually it is the festival of the two pagodas, by the name of Sutaungpyae built by King Anawrahta and the later-built Sutaungya. The pagodas' festival is designated to be celebrated for two days, from the eighth waxing day to the tenth of the Burmese month of Wagaung. At the same time, the nat festival is held alongside that of the pagodas. Taungbyone festival is very crowded with people coming from various parts of the country during the festival days in August. A special ritual program is carried out each day. More popularly, the spirit-mediums' dance is a major aspect of the festival and occurs throughout the days. The festival is not only a place for those who take the cult of nat within the sphere of Burmese Theravada Buddhism but a place for those who seek fun. One can watch folk dramas, ceremonial dance and find opportunities to gamble, socialize and drink. Location and site The festival takes place every year honouring the spirits of two brothers of Taungbyone belonging to the Burmese pantheon of '37' nats. Taungbyone village is located about north of Mandalay, the last royal capital of the Burmese monarchy. As the village is situated in central Myanmar, it is usually hot, dry and dusty, with a population of over three thousand according to the 2019 governmental report. Festival grounds During the festival, all free space of the village are occupied with the temporary infrastructure, or massive temporary bazaar comprising stalls of every kind that sell food, fruit, flowers, toys, clothing, tools, craft, trinkets as well as restaurants, sideshow, theatres for Burmese traditional drama and/or anyeint. There are a large crowd of people shopping, eating, dancing, carousing and gambling on the grounds. As it draws many thousands, security and emergency services like the police, the Red Cross, and the firefighters are put on standby because fights occasionally occur. Overview of the site The two pagodas, Sutaungpyae and Sutaungya, are situated north of the main nat shrine or the nat palace of the brothers, which is composed of two pavilions. In the first pavilion lie several statues of the nats, such as the two brothers (Shwe Hpyin Nyidaw and Shwe Hpyin Naungdaw), Ma