Festivals
1. Thingyan Water Festival
Time : April
Place : Nationwide
This water festival in Myanmar 2020 is the most important amidst the Myanmar water festivals as it marks the onset of a new Burmese year. The Thingyan (water) festival is a traditional new year for Myanmar people. The Thingyan (water) festival is in Myanmar month called “Tagu” and mostly in April. There’s a flower called “Padauk” which mostly blooms in Thingyan. We usually celebrate this festival 5 days or a week according to the townships and cities.
In the olden days, people would splash water at each other with buckets of water. Nowadays, as the culture developed, people use water guns and water hoses to make others wet. Young people would dye their hair to make themselves look cool. They would go around the town in cars to get wet. People who use water hoses would be on stages, throwing water from a high place. There would also be bands playing or dancers dancing on the stages at the back. The last day of the festival is the most thriving!
The water symbolizes the washing away of the previous year's bad luck and sins. On New Year's Day itself, all the water-throwing ends. This day is celebrated by releasing captive fish and birds as acts of merit, and special feasts are held for monks.
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During the Water Festival, the Myanmar government usually gives 10 or less than 10 days as holidays to relax and have some fun.
Over Thingyan, a tradition is to cook mont lone yay paw, sticky rice balls with jaggery (Palm sugar) inside. Watch out for pranksters putting chilies in the sticky rice balls instead of jaggery! Mont let saung is another refreshing Thingyan snack; bits of sticky rice with toasted sesame in jaggery syrup and coconut milk. They are both served with grated coconut.
