The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in 2021, with fighting continuing across many regions and the economy in tatters.
To mark Thadingyut last year the junta announced an amnesty for hundreds of protesters detained since the coup, sending families rushing to prison gates and sparking joyful reunions across the country.
The junta has so far not announced any amnesty to mark this year’s three-day festival, which ends on Monday.
“I pray for people who are displaced,” one woman told AFP amid the slowly-moving crowds, asking not to use her name.
“I want to see our country at peace but all I can do on this full moon day is to pray.”