EVENTS & FESTIVALS TOURS

Place : THINGYAN is celebrated throughout the country, but the ‘biggest’ action is in Yangon and Mandalay.

Time : 13^th - 16^th April 2011           
           17^th April 2011 (Myanmar New Year Day)

Duration : The Water Festival lasts four, or occasionally five days.

Description : During the Water Festival, young people splash water at one another to wash away sins and to have a good time flirting and drinking, while older people retreat to the monasteries and observe the eight precepts including fasting after noon.

The streets of Yangon and Mandalay are packed with thousands of residents and visitors dousing each other with water and enjoying dance and music performances staged on roadside stages, built specially for the festival period. Special interest at THINGYAN is beautiful decorated cars which go round the town entertaining the people, singing, dancing and chanting. The traffic stands still, visiting the city’s tourist sights is virtually impossible and it’s highly recommended leaving expensive photo equipment at home.

During the festivities, THAN-GYAT or satirical rhyming couplets are called out with a lead singing the first line and the chorus responding. Special THINGYAN sweets - MOUN-LON-YE-BAW, rice dumplings with a jaggery centre are cooked as a ritual by boys and girls. When cooked, they float to the top of the boiling water (YE-BAW). Sometimes a chiLLI is substituted for the jaggery.

THINGYAN dates back to the Burmese kings and is also celebrate as SONGKRAN in Thailand. But it is not a religious festival, strictly speaking, and is not determined by the phases of the moon. According to legend, SAKKRA, King of the DEVAS, and ARSI, King of the Brahmas, made a bet whereby the loser would be decapitated. ARSI lost the wager and his head. The Brahmas cut off an elephant's head and fixed it on his body and he became the god GANESH. Since it was said that the earth would be consumed by flames and the oceans would dry up if ARSI'S head fell into them, seven celestial goddesses were charged with holding the head for a year each. When they pass it from one to another, this represents the New Year.

On the eve of THINGYAN, Day 1, only children are allowed to throw water before it gets too wild. On Day 2, the Descent Day, THAGYARMIN (SAKKRA), the Lord of THINGYAN is said to descend from his celestial abode. On the intervening day(s), he records saints and sinners in his book, before returning to heaven on Ascent Day, the day before the New Year.

The throwing of water originally took place from a silver bowl from which THANAKHA scented water was scattered with THA-BYE (Eugenia) leaves. Nowadays, water pistols and motor-driven pumps are used.

Astrologers from Mandalay distribute the annual THINGYAN-SAR or almanac which predicts the situation for the coming year, including the weather, pests, economy etc.

17 Apr 2011, New Year's Day: Buddhists throughout the country perform meritorious deeds such as releasing animals at KABA AYE Pagoda and elsewhere, offering alms, and paying homage to their elders. Water-throwing is forbidden except in the village YOGO south of MAWLAMYINE.

Program : One or two days of this occasion program in Yangon or Mandalay should be combined with your choice of tour.