Festivals in Myanmar(Myamar Festivals)
January
ANADA PAGODA FESTIVAL @ Bagan
Ananda Pagoda is the most beautiful temple in Bagan. Here a festival is held every year during the Myanmar Lunar Calendar month of Pyar Tho.
travelers meandering along the dusty road, forms a picturesque scene typical of Upper Myanmar.
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KACHIN MANAW FESTIVAL @Myitkyina
Kachin Manaw festival is a one-day ceremony celebrated every year in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State on 10th January. Manaw is a typical Kachin national festival in the Kachin State, the northern end of Myanmar. The Kachin is a major ethnic group in Myanmar and they belong to Tibeto-Burman group. Honesty, hospitality and generosity are some of the many characteristics of the Kachin people. Manaw Festival is the most marvelous event as well as a unique holy tradition in Kachin State. If you are interested in visiting Kachin ethnic group, you should not miss the Manaw festival.
Everybody can participate in the feast of Manaw and you are warmly welcome to enjoy. Dancing with the rhythmic beat of the ceremonial gong, dressing in their colourful ceremonial attire, moving counter-clockwise in a big circle to the beat of a gong, men waving ceremonial swords and women flirting handkerchiefs, 
your experience with Manaw will remain with you for a long time to come.
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NAGA NEW YEAR FESTIVAL @Chin State
Naga New Year celebration annually starts on the 15th of January. Naga tribes inhibit along the north-western mountains of Myanmar bordering with India. Even the Nagas from the India region come for this Celebration. For the visitors, it is better to come before the New Year Day since the pre-festival celebrations are held in the Naga villages. Naga new year festivals are celebrated in Layshi or Lahè, much easier to reach among the different places in Sagaing Division.
We can fly up to Khamti (gate way to Naga Land) and then continue by land route to the place of celebration to witness Naga warriors and heroes. Their headdress made of bear fur and decorated with boar tusks, tiger claws, hornbill feathers and all the beasts they have killed.
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March
SHWEDAGON PAGODA FESTIVAL @Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon
Shwedagon Pagoda Festival is always celebrated on full-moon day of Tabaung, the twelfth and last month of Myanmar lunar calendar and usually it is in March. Local food and products are sold in many different stalls, which are set up at the foot of Theingoattaya hill. It is worthwhile for visitors to see how Myanmar people participate in religious festivals and how they enjoy their holiday.
During the festival, it is traditional to celebrate the non-stale robe weaving feast. The weavers set up their hand-weaving looms on the pagoda platform. The cotton is picked up during the day-time. Spinning and dying are done just before the night falls. Once the night comes, the weavers start their competition; the weavers have to finish the sacred yellow robes for the Buddhist monks before the clock ticks the dawn. 
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KAKKU PAGODA FESTIVAL @Kakku Pagoda Complex, Shan State(23rd March 2013 – 27th March 2013)
Kakku Pagoda festival takes place in March, precisely on the full-moon day of Tabaung (March) which is the last month of the Myanmar lunar calendar. Normally the festival will begin two or three days in advance for a religious festival or a social occasion. It is the time especially for all Pa O Tribes to have fun, exchange news and gossips, to trade. All the people of the region arrive by the thousands, dressed in their traditional costumes. Some come in bullock carts while others arrive by more modern conveyances, on the Chinese Buffalo, the motor imported in large quantity from China in order to use in farming, pushing boats, electricity, and so on and thus the nick-name earned!
But the most interesting time to visit this place is to get there before dawn of the full moon day of Tabaung where the Pa O people in all their finery come with gaily decorated trays bearing morning alms-food for the Buddha. The spacious ground in front of the gate to the pagodas is occupied with many stalls selling foods, local products, farm products, and so on.
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April
MYANMAR NEW YEAR & WATER FESTIVAL @the Whole Country
Among all the festivals in Myanmar, the most important and famous Festival is Myanmar New Year Water Festival ( Thingyan ) which is distinguished by pouring, and throwing the water at one another regardless of your color, your religion and your background. Every year, Thingyan falls on 13th April and ends in 17th April . We believe that pouring water in ‘ New Year’ to clean the impurities of the body and mind of the previous old year and start the new year with the pure and clean slate. Fun fairs, modern stage shows and traditional dances in the temporary street-side pavilions are common throughout the country. It is the best time to observe closely the Myanmar’s happy, easy-going, and generous nature.
While the young are enjoying in the water-splashing festivals, another merit-gathering young groups are doing the good deeds keeping the five percepts, nine precepts in the meditation centers to purify their mind of the spent year. However, all ages do the meritorious deeds on the new year day!
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July/August
TAUNGPYONE “NAT” FESTIVAL @Taungpyone, near Mandalay
The festival of Taungpyone is a very peculiar and particular spirit phrasing and propitiating festival uncommon to many Buddhist traditions. It takes place in the small Taungpyone village, about nine miles north of Mandalay.
The Taungpyone Nat festival is held for 4 days every year in the Myanmar month of Wagaung (August). The Nat festival reaches the climax on the fourth day when the faithful participants observe the bathing ritual of the two Nat princes, carried on palanquin followed by the train of procession to the Shwe Ta Chaung stream (the Golden stream) which runs close to the west of the village.
Times change and modern life becomes more and more complex yet the simple faith in these two princes of ancient Bagan Era make the faithful devotees come and join the feast every year renewing their hopes and wishes.
The Taungpyone Nat festival is a must for those who want to study the spirit-worship in Myanmar. We are arranging this trip as a day excursion from Mandalay!
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YADANAGU “NAT” FESTIVAL @Mandalay
It is one of much distinguished spirit or Nat festival that occurs every year on August, just one week after the end of Taungbyone spirit festival. The festival is held annually in honour of Popa-Medaw (Royal Mother of Mt. Popa), where people hold ceremonies to propitiate nats everywhere around Yadanagu area. Some dance as if possessed by a nat and the music played in this ceremony can stimulate the senses and soon everyone wants to get into the ceremony.
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September or October
PHAUNG DAW OO PAGODA FESTIVAL @Inle Lake
The month of October (sometimes in September) brings that month-long festival at Inle Lake, one of the most natural places in Asia. Four Buddha Images out of five from Phaung-daw-oo Pagoda are respectfully put on royal barge and the procession follows the royal barge. The procession goes around up to 14 villages on and around the lake for 18 days during the festival time. The barge is drawn by boats of leg-rowers (Inle Lake is very famous for its unique leg-rowers) and plenty of pilgrims in hundreds of boats follow the procession.
The large crowds of people gather on the lake-shores to celebrate the occasion and to pay deep respect to the sacred Buddha images on the Royal Barge. It is really a fabulous sight. The pagoda festival is held in every village, where the barge stops. People pay homage and offer flowers, alms, water and a variety of fruits to the Buddha. The most interesting event of the festival is leg-rowing boat races and award ceremony, which are held on the last day.
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October
LIGHT FESTIVAL AND END OF BUDDHIST LENT @The whole country
The lighting festival is held on full-moon Eve and Full Moon day of Thadingyut(somewhere in October) throughout Myanmar. Fullmoon Day of Thadingyut marks the end of the Buddhist Lent.
The Festival of Lights during Thadingyut commemorates the return of the Buddha from celestial abode and angels lighting the path of his descent to earth.
On or around the festival, the tradition of genuflecting to elders and respectful persons is followed, that is, to ask for forgiveness of might-have-been-done wrongdoing to the parents and grand parents. In the evening, the buildings, houses, streets and air are decorated with strings of lights, oil lamps, candles and hot aired balloons. It is very pleasant to see the children go to their parents and grandparents to ask for forgiveness bringing presents and genuflecting before one of the Five Revered Ones, Parents. One should owe the gratitude to the due persons!!
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October/November
HOT-AIR BALLOONS FESTIVAL @Taungyi, Shan State
The festival is held in Taunggyi, the capital city of Shan State for about 5 days before the full moon day of Tazaungmone (November). It is said to have been the origin of Pa-o minority. The festival is well known for its hot air balloons, which are released day and night. At night time, visitors can see competition of hot air balloons with fireworks and fire crackers. Competing over the beautiful fireworks, the contestants battle for maximum altitude reached and for speed.
In day time, the competition of decorated hot air balloons can be seen in different shapes and forms of animals such as birds, Hinthas(golden duck), fish, ducks, hens as well as some four-footed animals like pigs, elephants, etc.. Most of young local men participate in this event with their hand-made balloons from paper some weeks in advance before the festival. After the hot air balloons are successfully released into the air in the competitions, the crowds below happily play traditional instruments and dances. This festival is becoming more popular year by year and all are warmly welcome to take part in the feast.
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November
SHWEZIGON PAGODA FESTIVAL @ Bagan
The bell-shaped form of Shwe Zi Gon pagoda is considered as a major attraction in Bagan. It was first built in AD 1075 by King Anawrahta and finished in AD 1090 by his son, King Kyansittha. Built in the mid 11th century, the graceful bell shape of Shwezigon Stupa is a prototype for later Pagodas of Myanmar. The sacred Buddha’s tooth relic and the collar-bone relic which are brought from China and Sri Lanka respectively are enshrined in this pagoda.
Shwe Zi Gon pagoda festival is held in Tasaungmone. For 23 days one can find food stalls, fun-fairs, shops selling local products, dance, drama and theatrical shows, magic shows, puppet shows, and so on in the nearby specious ground of the pagoda. Myanmar people both young and old simply love to have a stroll around the festival.
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December
ALODAWPYI PAGODA FESTIVAL @Bagan
Built by the founder of Bagan Dynasty, King Anawratha, Alodawpyi pagoda is very famous and popular among the local pilgrims. Every year, in the month of December, the pagoda festival is held at Alodawpyi Pagoda complex. The pilgrims far and near come to take part in the festival bringing the donation items along with them.
The name, Alodawpyi, is translated as ‘The royal wish is answered’ and many Buddhists come to pray for their wishes answered. During the festival time, the highlight is on full-moon day and many monks from nearby villages of Bagan come to receive the donations from the Buddhists donors. The monks form a procession and the procession goes around the temple meanwhile the donors await with the items to offer to the monks.
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Join the Myanmar(Burma) Festivals with Ayuda Myanmar Travel Agency!!!
for more information, contact us to
info@ayudamyanmartravel.com/ayudamyanmartravel@gmail.com
Ayuda Myanmar Travel Tour Agency