This is the spectacular moment Burmese rafters paddle with their legs as a traditional festival returns following several years of disruption.

The event is part of the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival, a major Buddhist celebration during which four sacred Buddha images are placed on a royal barge shaped like a hintha bird - a mythical creature in Burmese culture.

The barge is then rowed around the lake as part of a ceremonial procession.

Footage shows hundreds of rowers dressed in bright yellow-orange taking part in the traditional leg-rowing race in southern Shan State on September 23.

The paddlers moved in perfect harmony, using their legs to glide the barge.

The celebration was halted in 2020 due to the pandemic. It was suspended again after the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, sparking civil conflict across much of the country.

Last year, heavy flooding forced the event to be cancelled once more.

The festival returned this year but was overshadowed by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in March that killed more than 3,800 people and caused widespread damage across the country.

Former tour guide Nyi Nyi Zaw said: 'The tourism industry in Inle collapsed after the pandemic, then came the political upheaval in 2021, and last year's floods. It felt like one disaster after another.'

The return of the celebration is viewed by residents as a sign of cultural continuity and community resilience, as efforts to rebuild continue.