Myanmar Gears Up for Water Festival - New Year Celebration

YANGON, Myanmar, March 29, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Myanmar Tourism Marketing invites travelers to come and experience Myanmar’s most famous festival Thingyan, the Burmese New Year Water Festival. Thingyan is a Sanskrit word meaning “transit.” It takes place in mid-April and the “water party days” are from Friday 13 April till Monday 16 April while Tuesday 17 April is the day that people will visit the temples. This festival is one of the largest and most widely celebrated holidays in Myanmar.

As the Myanmar year of 1379 comes to a close and the new year of 1380 is ushered in, one thing that has not changed is the enthusiastic throwing of water. During the festival, people splash water on each other and are believed to “wash-away” one’s sins of the previous year. You can enjoy the most vibrant and festive atmosphere in the cities of big or small, in the villages of far or near and every neighborhood can be seen with well-decorated bamboo or wood pavilions and stages. This festival gives a unique experience and is fun and colorful.

"Thingyan is an excellent time for tourists to visit Myanmar. Celebrated over four days, Thingyan showcases our rich religious and cultural heritage. It is also the best time to experience first-hand the warmth and fun-loving nature of Myanmar people,” said May Myat Mon Win, Myanmar Tourism Marketing Chairperson.

Thingyan is a great time to visit Myanmar to see the best of its traditional culture combined with a modern-day celebration at the grandest of scales. In a culture so closely intertwined with religion, the Thingyan Festival carries with it Buddhist rituals. On the eve of Thingyan, devout Buddhists are required to eat only one meal before noon. It’s also a time when observance days are respected. Across the country, alms and offerings are presented in monasteries and scented water is poured onto Buddha images in ceremonial washing.

“The Burmese are extremely friendly, and they appeared to appreciate tourists taking part in their national festival. Many locals came up to us to shake our hand and ask where we were from,” said a tourist who participated in Mandalay Water Festival.

As many local people travel during this period to their hometown, international travelers are advised to book busses, flights, and accommodation in advance. MTM published a new blog and articles on the festival. http://myanmar.travel/participate-thingyan-festival.

About Myanmar Tourism Marketing
Myanmar Tourism Marketing (MTM) aims to promote Myanmar as a sustainable tourism destination that can be visited the whole year round. It is part of the Myanmar Tourism Federation and is mainly privately funded by key members of the tourism industry in Myanmar. The MTM team is happy to assist press and media to publish more about tourism in Myanmar. Visit www.myanmar.travel, www.tourismmyanmar.org and follow us on www.facebook.com/myanmartm and www.instagram.com/visit.myanmar

Htet Lin – PR Officer

Myanmar Tourism Marketing
No. 204, Bo Myat Tun Road (Middle Block) Pazundaung Township
Yangon, Myanmar
Tel: +95 - 9 977204456
Mobile: +95 9 966 961079
E-mail: [email protected]

Source: Myanmar Tourism Marketing