Thingyan

Thingyan, also known as theMyanmar New Year, is a festival that usually occurs in middle of April. Celebrated over a period of four to five days, Thingyan culminates in the New Year. The dates of Thingyan are calculated according to theBurmese calendar. Thingyan is observed as public holidays throughoutMyanmar, and are part of the summer holidays at the end of theschoolyear. Water-throwing or dousing one another from any shape or form of vessel or device that delivers water is the distinguishing feature of thisfestivaland may be done on the first four days of thefestival. The New Year coincides with new year celebrations throughout Southeast Asia and South Asia, includingSongkraninLaos,SongkraninThailand, theCambodian New Year, theSinhalese New Yearand thefestivalslikeVaisakhi(Punjab),Puthandu(Tamil Nadu),Vishu(Kerala) andBihu(Assam) inIndia.
The name "Thingyan" (Burmese:သင်္ကြန်,pronounced[θɪ́ɰ̃dʑàɰ̃];Arakanese:[θɔ́ɰ̃kràɰ̃]) is derived from theSanskritwordsaṁkrānti(သံကြာန္တိ),which means the "transit [of the Sun from Pisces to Aries].".The period of Thingyan is also calledAtā(အတာ) in Burmese. The holiday is known asSangkran(listen) inMonand asSangkyaninShan(Shan:သၢင်းၵျၢၼ်ႇ).
The story about Thingyan is aBuddhistversion ofHindumythology. The King of Brahmas calledArsi(အာသီ), lost a wager to the King of Devas,Śakra, also known as Thagyamin (သိကြားမင်း), who decapitated Arsi as agreed. Still, the head of an elephant was put onto the Brahma's body which then becameGanesha. The Brahma's head was so powerful that throwing it into the sea would dry it up, onto land would scorch it, and into the air would ignite the sky. Sakra, therefore, ordained that the Brahma's head be carried by onegoddessafter another taking turns for a year each. The new year henceforth has come to signify the changing of hands of the Brahma's head.
Historians note that Thingyan was first celebrated during the Bagan period, coinciding with the establishment of theBagan Kingdomin the 9th century.Historical evidence suggests these festivals were celebrated throughout the reign of King Anawrahta in the 11th century, continuing into the 12th and 13th centuries.Some historians speculate that a similar water festival was celebrated during the Pyu era (2nd century), although evidence remains inconclusive.The festival is recorded on a stone inscription at Sawhlawun Pagoda dating to 1291.
In ancient times, a cannon (သင်္ကြန်အမြောက်,Thingyan a-hmyauk) was used as a signal to notify the people that Thagyamin already descended Earth, which means the Thingyan Festival had already started. Once the cannon was fired, communities, including the members of the Burmese royal family, came out with pots of water and sprigs ofthabyay, then poured the water onto the ground with a prayer. A prophecy for the new year (သင်္ကြန်စာ,Thingyan sa) will have been announced by thebrahmins(ponna) and this is based on what animal Thagyamin will be riding on his way down and what he might carry in his hand.
In December 2024, Thingyan was inscribed inUNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanityunder "Atā Thingyan."
The eve of Thingyan, the first day of the festival is calledA-kyo(အကြိုနေ့), and is the start of religious activities. Buddhists are expected to observe theEight Precepts,more than the basicFive Precepts, including having only one meal before noon. Thingyan is a time whenuposathaobservance days, similar to the Christian sabbath, are held. Alms and offerings are laid before monks in their monasteries and offerings of a green coconut with its stalk intact encircled by bunches of green bananas (ငှက်ပျောပွဲ အုန်းပွဲ,nga pyaw pwè oun pwè) andEugenia sprigbefore theBuddha imagesover whichscented wateris poured in a ceremonial washing from the head down. In ancient times, Burmese kings had a hair-washing ceremony with clear pristine water fromGaungsay Kyun(lit.'Head Washing Island'), a small rocky outcrop of an island in theGulf of MartabannearMawlamyine.
Nightfall brings music, song and dance, and merrymaking in anticipation of the water festival. In neighbourhoods, pavilions with festive names constructed from bamboo, wood and beautifully decorated papier mâché, are assembled overnight. Local girls rehearse for weeks and even years, in the run-up to the great event in song and dance in chorus lines. Each band of girls are uniformly dressed in colourfultops and skirtsand wears garlands of flowers and tinsel. They wear fragrantthanaka- a paste of the ground bark ofMurraya paniculatawhich acts as both sunblock and astringent - on their faces, and sweet-scented yellow padauk (Pterocarpus macrocarpus) blossoms in their hair. Padauk blooms only one day each year during Thingyan and is popularly known as the "Thingyan flower".
Large crowds of revellers, on foot, on bicycles and motorbikes, and in trucks, will do the rounds of all themandat, some making their own music and most of the women wearingthanakaand padauk. Floats, decorated and lit up, also with festive names and carrying an orchestra as well as dozens of young men on each of them, will roam the streets stopping at everymandatexchanging songs specially written for the festival including Thingyan classics.
The next day calleda-kya nei(အကျနေ့,lit.'day of descent') is when Thingyan fully arrives asThagyaminmakes his descent from his celestial abode to Earth. Children are told that if they have been good, Thagyamin will take their names down in agolden bookbut if they have been naughty their names will go into a dog book.
Serious water throwing does not begin untila-kya neiin most of the country although there are exceptions to the rule. Traditionally, Thingyan involved the sprinkling of scented water in a silver bowl using sprigs ofthabyay(Jambul), a practice that continues to be prevalent in rural areas. The sprinkling of water was intended to metaphorically "wash away" one's sins of the previous year. In major cities such asYangon, garden hoses, huge syringes made of bamboo, brass or plastic, water pistols and other devices from which water can be squirted are used in addition to the gentler bowls and cups. Water balloons and even fire hoses have been employed. It is the hottest time of the year in the country and a good dousing is welcomed by most. All able-bodied individuals are included in this game, except for monks. Some overenthusiastic young lads may get captured by women, who often are their main target, and become kids of a practical joke with soot from cooking pots smeared on their faces. Maidens from mandat's with dozens of garden hoses exchange hundreds of gallons of water with throngs of revellers and one floats after another. Many revellers carry towels to block water from getting into their ears and for modesty as they get thoroughly soaked in their light summer clothes. The odd prankster might use ice water and a drive-by splash with this would be taken humorously.Pwè(performances) by puppeteers, orchestras,yeindance troupes, comedians, film stars and singers including modern pop groups are commonplace during this festival.
The third day is known asa-kyat(အကြတ်နေ့,lit.'day of eclipse') and there may be two of them, as an extra day is added in certain years. The fourth day is known asa-tet(အတက်နေ့,lit.'day of ascent') when Thagyamin returns to the heavens, the last day of the water festival. Some would throw water at people late into the day making an excuse such as " Thagyamin left his pipe and has come back for it"!
The following is New Year's Day (နှစ်ဆန်းတစ်ရက်နေ့,hnit hsan ta yet nei). At this time Burmese visit elders and pay obeisance bygadaw(also calledshihko) with a traditional offering of water in a terracotta pot and shampoo. Young people perform hairwashing for the elderly often in the traditional manner with shampoo beans (Acacia rugata) and bark. New year's resolutions are made, generally in the mending of ways and doing meritorious deeds for theirkarma. Releasing fish (ငါးလွှတ်ပွဲ,nga hlut pwè) is another time-honoured tradition on this day; fish are rescued from lakes and rivers that are drying up, then the fish are kept in huge glazed earthen pots and jars before being released into larger lakes and rivers with a prayer and a wish saying "I release you once, you release me ten times".Thingyan (အခါတွင်း,a-hka dwin) is also a common time forshinbyu, novitiation ceremonies for boys in the tradition ofTheravada Buddhismwhen they will join themonks(Sangha) and spend a short time in a monastery immersed in the teachings of theBuddha, theDhamma. It is akin torites of passageorcoming of ageceremonies in otherreligions.
On New Year's Day, people offer food donations calledsatuditha(စတုဒိသာ) at various places. They typically provide free food to those participating in the New Year's celebrations. Many Burmese wash their heads withTayaw, kinpunon Burmese New Year's Day so as to leave behind all the impurities and bad omens from the past.
During Thingyan, locals throughout the country organisealmsgivingevents calledsatuditha, which take the form of communal feasts, offering free food, meals, and drinks to passersby and the needy.These range from traditional dishes likeBurmese curryand rice,mohinga,andono khauk sweto desserts likeshwe yin ayeandmont let saung.These activities reinforce the cultural norm of generosity and social cohesion in Burmese society.
During the Water Festival, the Myanmar government relaxed restrictions on gatherings.In the former capital, Yangon, the government permits crowds to gather on the Kandawgyi Roundabout and Kabaraye Roads. Temporary water-spraying stations, known as pandals, are set up and double as dance floors. Many of these pavilions are sponsored by rich and powerful families and businesses.
Over the long festive holiday, a time-honoured tradition ismont lone yay baw(မုန့်လုံးရေပေါ်),glutinous riceballs withjaggery(palm sugar) inside thrown into boiling water in a huge wok and served as soon as they resurface which gave it the name.Young men and women help in making it and all are welcome, some have put a birdseye chilli inside instead of jaggery as a trick.Mont let saung(မုန့်လက်ဆောင်း) is another Thingyan snack, made of bits of sticky rice with toasted sesame in jaggery syrup and coconut milk. They are both served with grated coconut.
During Thingyan, dance troupes throughout the country perform synchronised group dances calledyein.These dance styles originate in the Burmese folk music tradition, performed with songs featuring the beat of a double-headed drum called thedobat.Songs from the classic 1985 filmThingyan Moeare commonly featured.
In the lead-up to Thingyan, families prepare ceremonial clay pots calledatā oh(အတာအိုး) to welcome Thagyamin.The pots are filled with sprigs and flowers from 7 types of plants to represent each day of the week:
Throughout the festival, troupes performthan gyat(similar to rapping but one man leads and the rest bellows at the top of their voices making fun of and criticising whatever is wrong in the country today such as fashion, consumerism, runaway inflation, crime, drugs, AIDS, corruption, inept politicians etc.).