Myanmar New Year Thingyan festival (water festival) is coming soon. We welcome our Burmese new year beginning with three days or sometimes 4 days of water festival.

The Burmese new year falls on the second week of April as begins on 13th april and will end on 16th april. April always will be the welcomed day of our Burmese New Year.

The true spirit of the water festival is to have nice clean fun with dear friends sprinkling water on the one another. Here are the symbols of “Thingyan Festival”.

“Ah-Tar-Oh”, “Thingyan Pot”

The Pot with its set of flowers and leaves, is called “Ah-Tar-Oh”, ‘Thingyan Pot’.
“Ah-Tar-Oh”, “Thingyan Pot” meaning is that ” pot of flowers put out during Thingyan to welcome the New Year”.In this pot , the seven flowers or leaves are chosen and represent the seven days of the week.
It welcomes our Burmese New Year, especially to the King of the Celestials- Tha-Gyar-Min. Whether he forgets to come or not, we never forget to welcome him with ‘Thingyan Pot’.
We place Thingyan Pot at the suitable place in front of our house and hope that he will see it and let our names be engraved on his Gold plate.

“Shinbyu”, “Novitiation Ceremony”

Novitiation is the symbol of thingyan festival in a Buddhist family. It is one of the New Year activities. On these occasions, boys are sent to the monastery where they become ‘koyins’,or novices .They stay for a week or more at the monastery. Their heads are shaved. They wear yellow robes. They go on alms rounds carrying black alms bowls. They keep sabbath.

Novitiation ceremony; the boy sat obediently middle of his parents, the head was going to be shaved by the monk and his parents with happiness proudly held a snow-white sheet to receive his hair.
The Shinbyu, or Novitiation ceremony, is a coming of age ceremony as in other religions, for boys under 20 years old. The Novitiate ceremony is when boys do their service to Buddhism and are entered into the order of the monks for a week or longer.

“Padauk Pan” ,Symbol of Burmese Thingyan Festival Flowers

Padauk Pan(Yellow Flowers called Padauk) only blossom on April if fortunately given water from celestial(Rain showering). Padauk never blossom on any other Burmese months. In April, Burmese women wear Padauk on their head and also offer before our household shrines. If no thingyan shower for the month of april, we rarely see the beautiful Padauk on Thingyan month.
Famous poet named ZawGyi portrayed about this flower as ‘blossom only on the day of the month of a year, how faithful art thou!’

“Mandat”,Pandals made with Coconut leaves or Palm Leaves

During the Thingyan days, the Mandat, water throwing and playing places are everywhere, not only in cities but also in villages too. In the main city of Yangon and Mandalay, people use water guns, buckets and water hoses to make others wet. Young people would dye their hair to make themselves look cool. They would go around the town in cars to get wet. Some making their own Mandat made with coconut leaves and celebration together the water festival with friends.

On the New Year’s Day people make food donations at various places.All these April days, there is music in the air.While Thinngyan is a time for fun, it is also a time for religious reflection.People keep fast, give alms and do good deeds.

Happy Myanmar New Year for you all !. May this auspicious New Year brings all the best for you.