お祭り Festivals in Myanmar

The most lively festival of the year in the middle of April, the New Year in Myanmar. It is said to have started from around Pagan, and it takes place at the same time in many other Asian Buddhist countries. The three days of New Year’s Eve is a holiday, and people exchange water throughout Myanmar. By pouring water, it is meant to wash away dirt all year round and to welcome the new year. Also, among the devout Buddhists, there are many who are trained at the monastery during this time.

Festival to be held on the day of May full moon. It is a day when Buddha is supposed to be enlightened, and people pour holy water onto the linden tree of Pagoda.

Three months from July is the rainy season, which is the rainy season, and the monks will not go out and learn and meditate the scripture in the temple. The general public refrains from moving or marrying. It is the beginning of the Ameyasui period, and in preparation for the rainy season, there are also festivals where people give new monks to monks and offer flowers to pagodas.

The biggest festival of the spirit faith “NAT”, which takes place over five days in the village town Byung near Mandalay in August. People who serve the spirit of Nuggado (mostly shemales) dedicate dances and perform a series of ceremonies. Believers will gather from all over Myanmar and other Asian countries and pray for health, family safety and prosperity.

In late October, the festival celebrates Buddha’s preaching in the heavenly world and returning to earth. There are innumerable candles lit in Pagoda’s approach and houses, and small lanterns and oil lamps float in the river to greet Buddha. After the long rainy season, people’s feelings can be seen brightly.

On the day of the full moon in November and three days before and after, ceremonies are held at temples across the country to offer new monks, umbrellas and sandals to monks. At Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, there will be a contest for monk’s textiles by representatives from each province and districts, and 1000 candles will be lit and you can see a very beautiful scene in Chaityo Yo. Taunggyi is the largest, with fireworks and balloons of various shapes flying, and a lot of people gather to see it. It is also a day to honor my parents, teachers and superiors.

February is the harvest time. The rice that was first harvested is provided to pagoda, and the candy called Tamane, which is made by mixing glutinous rice with oil, ginger and coconut, is shared with the neighbors and eaten. It is one of the festivals that Myanmar people are looking forward to very much.

The festival, which takes place at the end of the year, is considered a great day to build Pagoda. The Shwedagon Pagoda Festival is lined with stores and crowded with many people. People gather at the townbyon to pray for prosperity and so on.