Thingyan Water Festival or New Year Celebration

Theis Kofoed Hjorth
Dates
April 13–April 16
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
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Thingyan Water Festival or New Year Celebration
Featured in
asia
Myanmar
Thingyan Festival, which lasts for four days in April, marks the end of the hot, dry season and the imminent arrival of the New Year in Burma. Traditionally, Burmese celebrate this holiday on the streets with the fun water fights, uniting children and adults.
Thingyan Water Festival, Hpa An, Myanmar
©
MARTIN HUARD
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The mass water spectacle is intended to wash away all the bad luck and bad deeds and sins of the past year. The major events of the Water Festival occur on the main pedestrian streets of Myanmar's cities. The sidewalks are occupied with special bamboo platforms, from which the "enthusiasts" of Thingyan pour water on passers by. Roads also become the arena of water "battles." Powerful jets of water guns and buckets rain down on the people from trucks, SUVs, and cars. Everyone is fair game except for the elderly and clerics.
Theis Kofoed Hjorth
With the advent of the Burmese New Year the water "orgy" is terminated. On this day people show mercy by releasing fish and birds into the wild, as well as treating the monks with a lavish feast. Such celebrations can be also seen in neighbouring Myanmar Buddhist countries such as
Thailand
,
Laos
, and
Cambodia
.
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Thingyan Water Festival or New Year Celebration
Featured in
asia
Myanmar
Dates
April 13–April 16
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
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People interested
+
19
Thingyan Water Festival or New Year Celebration
Featured in
asia
Myanmar