Myanmar’s traditional New Year and Water Festival in April 2007

March 8th, 2007

Myanmar will celebrate the traditional New Year from the April 12-21 2007. During this period - the Water Festival will take place from the April 13-16 2007. Its the period when everyone cannot avoid getting very wet because everyone throws water at everybody. People drive through the city in open cars and there are stages along the street where people throw water. During this time, everything in Burma is closed: restaurants, shops, markets, Museum, etc.  

Here is some useful information on the Water Festival:

Around the middle of April, the 3-day Thingyan (Water Festival) starts the Burmese New Year. Thingyan, from theh Sanskrit samranta (fully passed over), celebrates the passage of the sun from the sign of Pisces into the sign of Aries in the zodiac. This is the height of the dry and hot season and, as in Thailand’s Songkran, it is celebrated in a most raucous manner - by throwing buckets of cold water at anyone who dares to venture into the streets. Foreigners are not excempted!

In cities, temporary stages called “pandal” are erected along the main throug-fares. Each pandal is sponsored by civic groups, neighourhood associations, student societies or government departments, the members of whom stand next to rows of water barrels and douse every person or vehicle that passes by.

On the spiritual level - the Burmese believe that during this 3-day period, the king of the “nat (spirits)”, Thagyamin, visits the human world to tally his annual record of the good deeds and misdeeds humans have performed. Villages place flowers and sacred leaves in front of their homes to welcome the nat. Thagyamin’s departure on the morning of the 3rd day marks the beginning of the new year, when properly brought-up young people wash the hair of their elderly kin, Buddha images and ceremonially washed and hpongyi (monks) are offered particularly apetising alms food.

Although the true meaning of the festival is still kept alive by the ceremonies such as these, nowadays its mainly a festival of fun. In between getting soaked, there will be dancing, singing and theatre. In the latter, the emphasis is on satire - particularly making fun of the govenment, the latest female fashions and any othner items of everyday interest. (Source; Lonely Planet).

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