Burma (since 1998 also called Myanmar) is known and even famous for many things. Oddly enough, there is one thing that Burma and the Burmese are not generally known for, and that is festivals and celebrations, although Burma could justifiably be called the country of festivals.
The Burmese festival calendar is packed with regional and national occasions to celebrate. It is difficult for me to say where this originated; on events that are worth celebrating or simply the desire of the Burmese people to celebrate and subsequently finding suitable occasions that give enough reason to do so. Regardless of which comes first, the fact remains that every time there is a full moon it is festival time in Burma. Both religious and cultural festivals take place throughout the year and throughout the country. And most festivals are long and enjoyable affairs here.
The prevailing spirit of the respective festival varies according to the nature of the occasion, from something frivolous during ‘Thingyan’ or ‘Water Festival’, to the ‘Burmese New Year’ which falls in the Burmese month of ‘Tagu’ (March/April) to something more solemn on full moons like the ‘Kason Full Moon’ in the first week of May, the ‘Waso Full Moon’ in July and the ‘Wagaung Full Moon’ in August, to definitely rejoice when the ‘Full Moon -Thadingyut moon’ in the Burmese month of Thadingyut (September/October) has arrived and the ‘Festival of Lights’ (marking the end of Buddhist Lent and monsoon season) is celebrated as well as the four weeks following the ‘Tazaungmon full moon’ (October/November) when people celebrate the ‘Tazaungdine Festival’.
In addition to the many nationally celebrated festivals, there are also numerous locally celebrated festivals. For example, Thingyan, the Burmese water festival, is celebrated throughout the country, but there are other ethnic and religious minority New Year festivals as well. These are the Christian New Year (December/January), Chinese New Year (February), Karen New Year (January) and the purely locally celebrated Naga ‘Kaing Bi’ New Year (January). The festive calendar also includes other Christian holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, the Hindu holiday ‘Dewali’ in October, the Islamic ‘Bakri Idd’ in late November and many other holidays celebrated by minority groups.
New Year Festivals, Boat Racing Festivals, Light Festivals, Pagoda Festivals, Temple Festivals, Weaving Festivals, Harvest Festivals, National Festivals; festivals and celebrations at the end. Happiness and smiling faces are everywhere. An atmosphere of joy pervades the entire country. That is one of the many charming aspects of Burma. At this point, I consider it important to draw your attention to the great difficulty – often even impossible – of separating historical facts from the great mass of myths and legends. This is particularly true when it comes to, for example, Siddhartha Gautama Buddha and his life, both of which play an important role in the context that most Burmese festivals have their roots in Buddhism (Theravada Buddhism, to be precise). and that about 86% of Burmese are Buddhist.
If you have the time and money, you can travel the country and start the circle of festivals by celebrating ‘Thingyan’, the Burmese New Year in April, continue with the ‘Kason Full Moon’ in May, the ‘Mount Popa Festival’. . ‘ in June, ‘Dhammasetkyar’/’Dammacakya’, ‘Waso Full Moon’ in July, ‘Wagaung Full Moon’ in August, ‘Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival’ and ‘Boat Racing Festival’ ‘ in August/September, ‘Thadingyut Festival of Lights’ in September/October, ‘Lu Ping Festival’ and ‘Tazungmon Full Moon Festival of Lights’ in November, ‘Pagoda Festival’ of Ananda’ in December, the ‘New Year Naga Festival’ in January, the ‘Harvest Festival’ at ‘Tabodwe New Moon’ in February and ends with the ‘Tabaung Full Moon’ in March, the last month of the year Burmese. Whatever the nature of the festival and, consequently, the spirit in which you celebrate it, I hope you enjoy it. Have fun and be happy!