Traditional Culture of Myanmar Water Festival (Thingyan)

In Myanmar, there are various type of seasonal festival as Mahar Thingyan Festival (water festival), Thadingyut Festival (light oil lamps festival) and TaZaungTine (Hot air balloon Festival). The Water Festival is the primary event of Mahar Thingyan. As the Burmese calendar, tagu month is the Myanmar New Year month. So Myanmar people observe water festival in tagu month. By the international calendar, Myanmar people celebrate the Mahar Thingyan in the mid of April. Not only local people but also tourists traveling to the country celebrate the Mahar Thingyan Festival and pray for a better year.

Water festival is really wonderful event for people. Myanmar people also believe that the water washing away of the previous year’s bad luck and sins. The water festival celebrate about four to five days. Nowadays, the water festival – Mahar Thingyan in Myanmar is popular as the most renowned event for people to wish for the good health and luck to all people.

Usually, the Padauk Flower blossoms and NguWah Flower bloom in the April. So these flowers are commonly referred to as the Thingyan flower due to its rarity and use during Mahar Thingyan. When the Padauk blossoms bloom, people offered to the Buddha and adorn the padauk flowers with reverence and esteem.

Myanmar Thingyan Water Festival has its own foods such as Mont Lat Saung, Shwe Yin Aye, and Mote Lone Yay Paw. These are super delicious foods and you can get free in some place of feast given in charity for all comers. Mont Lat Saung is a Burmese traditional drink made from rice jelly shaped like worms mixed with sugar or palm sugar and coconut milk. Shwe Yin Aye is much similar like Mont Lat Saung but it has extra bread, sticky rice and jelly. Mote Lone Yay Paw is sticky rice balls with palm sugar put inside and sprinkle the coconut chip over sticky rice balls. This is sweet snack but sometime people put chili instead of palm sugar because of they want to tease to each other for funniest event.

So, if you are coincide with Myanmar Traditional water festival, do feel free to enjoy with our people, you can see the innocent and warmly welcome habits of Lovely Myanmar people and can feel the amazing feeling of Myanmar Thingyan.