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Burmese traditional festivals are based on the traditional Burmese calendar and dates are largely determined by the moon's phase.[ citation needed ] Burmese culture is most evident in villages where local festivals are held throughout the year, the most important being the pagoda festival. [1] [2]
| Month | Festival(s) | Day | Significance | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tagu (April) | Thingyan | Mid-April | Marks the beginning of the Burmese new year | Gadaw (paying obeisance to elders), water games, observation of the Buddhist Sabbath (Uposatha), parades |
| Kason (May) | Bo tree watering festival | Full moon of Kason | Marks the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha (Vesākha) | Watering of the Bo tree |
| Nayon (June) | Tipitaka Festival | Nationwide Pariyatti Sasana examinations for Buddhist monks [3] | ||
| Waso (July) | Robe Offering Festival, [4] Dhammasekya Day | Full moon of Waso | Marks the beginning of the Buddhist lent (Vassa); anniversary of Buddha's first sermon on the Four Noble Truths | Donation of monk robes, shinbyu ceremonies |
| Wagaung (August) | Taungbyon Nat Festival [5] | |||
| Tawthalin (September) | Regatta Festival | Boat rowing competitions | ||
| Thadingyut (October) | Festival of Lights | Full moon of Thadingyut | Marks the end of the Buddhist lent (Vassa) | Gift exchanges, gadaw (paying obeisance to elders), lighting of candles, pagoda visits |
| Tazaungmon (November) | Tazaungdaing Festival of Lights [6] | Full moon of Tazaungmon | Marks the end of the rainy season | Lighting of hot air balloons by the Shan people in Shan State, and lanterns nationwide |
| Kyi Ma No Festival | Mischief-making | |||
| Kahtein Thingan Offering Festival | Between Thadingyut and Tazaungmon | Offering of Kathina robes to Buddhist monks | ||
| Nadaw (December) | Karen New Yearn | Marks the new year of the Karen people | ||
| Nat festivals [7] | Ritual feasts honoring Burmese nats (spirits) | |||
| Pyatho (January) | Kachin Manaw Festival | Marks the new year of the Kachin people | ||
| Tabodwe (February) | Harvest Festival [8] | Celebration of rice harvests | Cooking of htamane, a special sticky rice made with sesame seeds, peanuts and ginger | |
| Tabaung (March) | Shwedagon Pagoda Festival [9] Nationwide pagoda festivals | Nationwide pagoda festivals | Celebrations on Singuttara Hill |
Edited by TZWK (Dastan Fitz)
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a country in Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has a population of about 55 million. It is bordered by Bangladesh and India to its northwest, China to its northeast, Laos and Thailand to its east and southeast, and the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal to its south and southwest. The country's capital city is Naypyidaw, and its largest city is Yangon.
The Shan people, also known as the Tai Long or Tai Yai, are a Tai ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The Shan are the biggest minority of Burma (Myanmar) and primarily live in the Shan State of this country, but also inhabit parts of Mandalay Region, Kachin State, Kayah State, Sagaing Region and Kayin State, and in adjacent regions of China, Laos, Assam and Meghalaya, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. Though no reliable census has been taken in Burma since 1935, the Shan are estimated to number 4–6 million, with CIA Factbook giving an estimate of five million spread throughout Myanmar which is about 10% of the overall Burmese population.
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Meitei, also known as Manipuri, is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and one of the official languages India. Meitei is the most widely-spoken Tibeto-Burman language of India and third the most used language of northeast India after Assamese and Bengali. There are 1.76 million Meitei native speakers in India according to the 2011 census. Most of these, or 1.52 million, are found in the state of Manipur, where they represent majority of its population. There are smaller communities in neighbouring Indian states, such as Assam (168,000), Tripura (24,000), Nagaland (9,500), and elsewhere in the country (37,500). The language is also spoken by smaller groups in neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The Meitei people, Meetei people, or Manipuri people is an ethnic group native to Manipur. They form the largest and dominant ethnic group of Manipur in Northeast India. They speak the Meitei language, one of the 22 official languages of the Indian Republic and the sole official language of Government of Manipur. The Meiteis primarily settled in the valley areas in modern-day Manipur, though a sizeable population has settled in the other Indian states of Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Mizoram. There is also a notable presence of Meitei people in the neighbouring countries of Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Meitei ethnic group represents about 53% of Manipur's population.
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