Myanmar Festivals
Myanmar
Festivals and Major Events around the year
Myanmar has many festivals in
every months of the year. Majority of the
festivals are cultural and religious. Most are
celebrated nation-wide while a few are
distinctly regional. The dates of the festivals
and special events are determined by the Lunar
Calendar. Full moon day of each month of Myanmar
calendar has its own festive occasion.
Following is a list of well
known festivals in Myanmar.
The Famous Thingyan Water
Festival:
 This traditional festival
falls around 13th April and ushers to the
Myanmar New Year. It is the merriest festival
held for three or four days when people pour
water over one another and there is much singing
and dancing at decorated pedals. Boys and girls
also go round in cars and enjoy themselves
splashing water at one another. Pouring water is
believed to cleanse the body and mind of evils
of the year that was left behind.
There is merriment and fun
galore. But it is not all fun and play; the
elderly and the pious perform a lot of
meritorious deeds to usher in the New Year.
People keep Sabbath; go to pagodas; and offer
food and alms to monks. Children and youths too
welcome the New Year by paying respects to their
parents, teachers and elders. To gain merit,
fish and cattle are also set free. Through
merriment and fun and through meritorious and
pious deeds, the Myanmar ushers in a New Year.
The Kason Festival:
It falls on the full moon day
of Kason according to the Myanmar Calendar
(early May). The full moon of Kason is a day of
threefold significance - the day the Buddha was
born, the day He attained Enlightenment and the
day of His demise. Men and women of all ages go
to pagodas in procession to pour water on the
sacred Bo Tree. This is done as a mark of
veneration to the Buddha who attained
Enlightenment sitting under the Bo Tree.
The Waso Festival:
Full moon day of Waso in July
commemorates the Buddha's first sermon. It also
marks the beginning of Buddhist Lent. New robes
and other temporal requirements are offered to
the monks in the pomp and pageantry. Young
people also go out and gather flowers of the
season to offer at the pagodas.
Thadingyut Festival
(Festival of Lights):
This festival held on the
full moon day of Thadingyut in October marks the
end of the Budditst Lent. It lasts for three
days during which houses and streets in cities
and towns are brilliantly illuminated. Pagodas
are also crowded with people doing meritorious
deeds. It is not only a time of joy but also of
thanks giving and paying homage to teachers,
parents and elders.
Tazaungdaing Festival:
This festival is held on the
full moon day of Tazaungmon according to the
Myanmar Calendar (mid-November). Houses and
public buildings are colourfully illuminated
everywhere. Kathina robes and other requisites
are offered to the Holy Order at Kahtein
festival (ceremony of offering robes to monks).
The offering of Mathothigan is held on the eve
of the Full Moon Day of Tazaungmon. Mathothingan
is a robe that is woven in a day. Today, teams
of weavers compete with one another to complete
weaving robes overnight. The woven robes are
then offered to the great images of Buddha.
Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda
Festival:
The festival of Phaungdaw Oo
Pagoda in In-le Lake in the Shan State held in
October is the biggest occasion of the Lake. The
images of the Buddha from Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda
are placed on a decorated royal barge called
Karaweik (Mythical bird) and taken around the
Lake, stopping at villages for people to pay
homage. The festival is held with great pomp and
pageantry. Fun fairs and dances are also held.
The unique and most interesting event of the
festival, is of course, the holding of boat
races participated by leg-rowers -- both men and
women.
Pagoda Festivals:
Pagoda festivals are held for
each pagoda. These festivals could be viewed as
the Myanmar equivalent of western fun fairs. In
a pagoda festival, one can find food stalls, toy
shops, shops selling sundry consumer goods,
magic shows, puppet shows and dramas. People --
young and old -- simply love to have a stroll
around the place where there is a pagoda
festival.
Elephant Dance Festival:
En route from Yangon to
Mandalay, there lies a thriving town called 'Kynuk-se
in Upper Myanmar -- situated some 26 miles to
the south of Mandalay. This town is noted
particularly for the elephant dance which is
performed at annual Light Festival in the month
of Thadingyut (October). The main feature of
this festival is the elepant dance accompanied
by colourful pegeantries -- on live size white
paper elephant decked with regal trappings
carries on its back a replica of the sacred
Tooth of Buddha or some relies of an Arahat
while a black paper elephant follows as the
finale of the procession. Each of these paper
elephants is borne and animated by two men
inside. The black paper elephant dance merrily
to the procession music and thus it is the
centre of attraction during the carnival.
Nowadays, the elephant dance
no longer sticks to its native town alone. It
has become one of the highlights in many
auspicious celebrations throughout the country.
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