Myanmar– Holidays and Festivals

Myanmar’s culture has been heavily influenced by Theravada Buddhism and by the culture of the indigenous ethnic groups, many of whom are ‘nat’ or spirit worshippers. Most holidays and festivals relate to these religious beliefs. Myanmar travel allows the visitor to take part in and observe these special events

The most important and popular of the Buddhist festivals is ‘Thingyan’, the Water Festival, held over four days just before the Myanmar New Year (17 April). The festival originated in the Buddhist practice of washing away the sins or bad feelings of the old year. Buddha statues and other religious icons would be carefully washed and the young would symbolically wash their elders’ hands. Today, this has extended into a full-out water throwing ceremony similar to those seen throughout the Indo-China region. All of Myanmar celebrates, but especially in the major cities such as Yangon and Mandalay where stages are built to enable the throwing of water on passers-by. The fun filled ceremony is observed by almost everyone and businesses close for the full four days. Don’t plan on travelling during this the festival! And certainly don’t expect to stay dry.

Myanmar’s Buddhist monks traditionally spend the three months of the rainy season in retreats for contemplation and meditation. Following the end of the three months (in October) a festival known as ‘Kahtein’ is held by each monastery. This gives the laity the opportunity to gain ‘karma’ by bring donations to the monks, especially in the form of new yellow robes. For this reason, it is often referred to as the ‘Robe Festival’. ‘Money trees’ are also given on which donors hang gifts.

‘Nats’ are spirits worshipped in Myanmar in a form of animism which is often practiced in conjunction with Buddhism. There are 37 main ‘nats’, but also many more such as tree and water spirits. All of these spirits have human like qualities, wants and needs and have to be appeased so there are various festivals connected with ‘nat’-worship.

The most important ‘nat’ site is Mount Popa, an extinct volcano with numerous temples and relic sites near Bagan in central Myanmar. Here, the annual festival is held on the December Full Moon. North of Mandalay is Taungbyone, another major ‘nat’ pilgrimage site which holds its festival in August. At these festivals, ‘nat kadaws’ or ‘nat’ mediums dance and embody the ‘nat's’ spirit in a trance. People come from all over Myanmar to join the festivities in various ‘nat’ shrines, get drunk on palm toddy and dance wildly in fits of ecstasy to the beat of the music, many convinced that they have become possessed by the ‘nats’.