Myawlamyine, Myanmar – Thingyan, the New Year festival of Myanmar, has recently drawn to a close, leaving behind the fragrance of Padauk flowers and memories of celebrations.
The mid-April festival lasted four days, and people made the most of it by celebrating in ways of their own.
My grandmother went on a meditation retreat at a local monastery, as she does every Thingyan; my cousins took part in the famous water fights on the streets; my uncle smeared Thanaka paste on passersby’s faces; and my aunts handed out the beloved Thingyan dessert, Mont Lone Yay Paw, to everyone who walked by the house.
The signature act of Thingyan, splashing water at each other, symbolizes washing away all the old sins and entering the new year with a clean body and soul.
Min Shwe Pyae, my 7-year-old cousin, was very stoked about this Thingyan, and he had a blast splashing water at people with the water gun he bought himself with the pocket money he saved up before the holiday.
Most of Shwe Pyae’s excitement also came from the fact that this year is the first in a long time that he has had the chance to properly celebrate Thingyan.
The previous four years’ Thingyan days were rather quiet, and very few people went out on the street to celebrate because of the pandemic and political unrest following the coup.
Myawlamyine, my hometown, is known for always celebrating the festival one more day than most of the other regions of Myanmar. Even more so, the last additional day, which is the first day of the New Year, is often the most exuberant day, with the busiest water arenas in town.
Though this year’s Thingyan was not as vibrant as it used to be in 2019 and prior, it was celebrated more cheerfully compared to the last four years.
People welcomed the new year by committing good deeds such as offering alms and offerings to the Buddha and monks, freeing birds and fish, washing the elderly’s heads with traditional shampoo, and so on on the first day of the year.
As we have entered the Burmese New Year of 1386, Myanmar people wish an auspicious year filled with blessings and peace for everyone.
Yunn Chaw Nadi is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
