Festivals & Events in Myanmar

In Myanmar, also known as Burma, the traditional calendar features 12 28-day lunar months that run out of sync with the months of the solar Gregorian calendar, or the internationally accepted civil calendar. In order to stay in sync with the rest of the world, the country adds a second Waso (June/July) lunar month every few years. Local festival dates are often not fixed as they normally take place or culminate on full-moon days.

Independence Day (January 4)

This nationwide event is a seven-day fair at Kandawgyi Lake in Yangon. The British started ruling the country in 1826 and it finally gained independence on January 4 1948.

Shwedagon Pagoda Festival (February-March)

The lunar month of Tabaung, meaning February-March, brings the annual Shwedagon Festival, the largest paya pwe, or pagoda festival, in Myanmar. The official date is when the major ceremonies take place and the festival normally last for a couple of weeks. During this period, crowds of pilgrims descend on the Shwedagon every day.

Water Festival (April)

At the height of the dry and hot season, around mid-April, the local new year starts with three-day Water Festival or Thingyan. Just like the Songkran in Thailand, people throw buckets of cold water at anyone on the streets. According to the locals, during this period, the king of the nat, or spirit beings, called Thagyamin, visits the human world to tally his annual record of the good deeds and misdeeds humans have performed. People place flowers and sacred leaves in front of their homes to welcome the Thagyamin. The nat's departure on the morning of the third day marks the beginning of the new year. Local people ceremonially wash Buddha images and offer monks food.

Martyrs' Day (July 19)

Martyrs' Day commemorates the assassination of Bogyoke Aung San and his comrades on July 19 in 1947. Local people lay wreaths at Bogyoke Aung San's mausoleum, just north of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. Bogyoke Aung San was a nationalist and founder of the modern Burmese army who was instrumental in bringing about Burma's independence from Britain. He was the father of Nobel Peace laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Kayin New Year (December/January)

The Kayin, or also known as Karen, New Year is considered a nationally holiday which is held on the first waxing moon of Pyatho (December/January). Kayin communities that are scattered throughout the country celebrate by wearing their traditional dress of woven tunic over red longyi (Burmese sarong) and by hosting folk-dancing and singing performances. The largest celebrations are held in the Kayin suburb of Insein, just north of Yangon, and in Hpa-an, the capital of Kayin State, east of Yangon.

Resources

• Lonely Planet Myanmar (Burma), 2009