Each New Year Festival is celebrated according to the respective calendar all over the world so that various New Year Days emerged. Global Calendar of New Year’s day is 1st January and it has been on globalization. Mostly, Chinese New Year is in February and the symbol is changed according to representative each year animal. Some southeast Asian Nations such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand have New Year Festival and it is in April or the hottest time of the summer. Although the period of festivals and styles are different, splashing water one another is the same. Therefore, their New Year festivals are called Water Festival. The actual aim of pouring water is cleaning rituals to welcome the New Year. Myanmar New Year Water Festival is called Thingyan and Thingyan means changing. Normally, the New Year starts from the first date of the first month but Myanmar Calendar system is not the same.
When do Myanmar New Year (Myanmar Water Festival) Start?
Mostly, Thingyan falls on 13th April and it takes place 4 or 5 days according to the Myanmar calendar and New Year Day starts after the festival. It means that although the final month of Myanmar Calendar is Tabaung, Thingyan is not celebrated at the end of Tabaung but in the mid-Tagu (first month in lunar calendar).
Thingyan Festival (Myanmar New Year Water Festival)
Myanmar New Year celebration, Thingyan, is really different from the western world. No firework but a lot of water. The specific symbol flower of Thingyan is Padauk. People pour water on each other and it means washing the physical and mental impurities of the year. Many Thingyan pavilions and booths are built on the road all over the country. On the pavilions, Thingyan traditional dance, music and songs are performed and the booths are decorated with green coconut leaves. At the booths, people douse the water with the pumps and water guns one another or pour the water on each other with cups or buckets. The traditional food of Thingyan called ‘Mont Lone Ye Paw” is also being offering free at every Thingyan booth. And, some houses host meals at the so-called ‘Satudithar’ booth and everybody can drop in and have the meal there. Everyone on the road are poured with water and the road are wet. You can also hear the Thingyan songs the whole day. The Padauk flowers are blooming all over the country in the period. In the former time, people gently spray the water to each other by sinking the Padauk twig in the water. During the festival, people do merit and take Sabbath. Young people pay homage and respect to elders and help them to take the bath, to wash the hair and to cut the nail. Thingyan festival is the most festive occasion of the whole year and is celebrated the whole of Myanmar but especially in Yangon and Mandalay. All of Myanmar people wait the whole year for this festival and they are very happy to take part in this festival. We celebrate this festival with water not only to get the best things but also extirpate bad things. During the water festival, the limelight place in Mandalay, and also the most famous water festival songs were written about Mandalay. In recent years, the so-called Walking Thingyan activity occurs in most of the city and Mandalay Walking Thingyan is especially famous and trending among the cities. Nowadays Thingyan is popular not only for local people but also for foreign visitors.
Therefore why do you hesitate to celebrate that amazing festival? Our LM Travel Myanmar is offering the best services for this exciting festival.