Festival and Major Events

Myanmar is a land of Festivals: a festival for every month 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.

FESTIVALS IN MYANMAR

The Myanmars are said to have a penchant for theatre and festivals. The two are intertwined, for whenever there is a major festival, there will be a theatre of sorts to provide entertainment for the people.

Most festivals, called pwe, in Myanmar are related to religion and quite often, they are carried out under the patronage of a pagoda or temple.

Conveniently, Myanmar's rainy season, which makes merrymaking rather inconvenient, ends at the same time as the end of the Buddhist Lent, which represents the period when the Lord Buddha went into meditation just before attaining enlightenment.

This happens in October, kicking off most of the country's religious festivals. For the next six months until July, every town and village bursts with color and celebrations on various dates honoring its own pagoda birthday, its favorite nat (spirit), or even to commemorate a special event such as the topping of a pagoda with a new hti, the upper "umbrella" of a pagoda or temple.

There are, of course, various nationwide celebrations as well, each with its own special significance. The Water Festival in April, for instance, ushers in the Myanmar New Year. The joyous Thanksgiving Harvest (the Festival of Lights) also marks the end of the Buddhist Lent, while the Weaving Festival is in honor of monks who are given newly-woven robes to wear.

MYANMAR NEW YEAR (THINGYAN)

The people of Myanmar usher in their New Year around the middle of April with showers of blessing - in the form of water, which is thrown over friends and even strangers on the streets.

Known as the Thingyan Water Festival, which last three days, it symbolizes the change (Thingyan) from the old year to the new. It is also the equivalent of the Western tradition of "turning over a new leaf" at the start of the new year.

Water, for every Myanmar, is a symbol of cleanliness and during Thingyan, monasteries, pagodas and images of Buddha are bathed clean with water. Also, help is given to the elderly to wash their hair as the head is considered the most noble part of a person and must be kept clean.

THADINGYUT

October marks the end of the Buddhist Lent. The three-day Festival of Lights during Thadingyut symbolizes the return of the Buddha from heaven and angels lighting the path of his descent to earth.

In this festival, people lighten up their houses by strings of lights, oil lamps, candles and hot aired balloons.

THAZAUNGDAING

There is another Festival of Lights in November (Tazaungmon), particularly in the State of Shan where a Weaving Festival is also concurrently held. There are hot aired balloons contests as well as a weaving competition during which young women show off their skills by weaving new robes for Buddha images and monks.

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