Festivals
Festivals
Festivals form the core of Myanmar social and religious activities. Full moon day of each month of Myanmar calendar has its own festive occasion. Following is a list of well known festivals in Myanmar:
Thingyan Water Festival
This traditional festival falls around 13″‘ April and ushers in 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 pandals. 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 pago das; 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 Myanmars usher 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 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 Buddhist 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 every where. Kathina robes and other requisites are offered to the Holy Order at Kahtein festival [ceremony of offering robes to monks). The of fering of Mathothingan is held on the eve of the Full Moon Day of Tazaungmon. Mathothingan is a robe that is woven over-night. On that day, teams of weavers compete with one another to complete weaving robes overnight. The Woven robes are then offered to images of Buddha. Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda Festival
The festival of Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda in Inle Lake in 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 to let people 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 boat races participated by leg-rowers both men and women.
Pagoda Festivals
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 sun-dried 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 ‘Kyau-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 elephant dance accompanied by colourful pageantries – a life- size white paper elephant decked with regal trappings carries on its back a replica of the sacred Tooth of Buddha or some relics of an Arhat 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 dances 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.