Myanmar ( Burma )

Myanmar Thingyan Festival

2011-04-11T03:11:00.000-07:00

Myanmar Thingyan

Thingyan is probably the most celebrated, most joyous event in the culture and custom of Myanmar people. From the poorest to the richest in Myanmar, this is the greatest event for the year. Every body, poor, rich, uneducated, educated, young and old all participate and enjoy in this once a year event. For every Burmese, this is the event not to be missed. Even for those Burmese people in foreign countries, this is the time for a celebration in the memory of their homeland and their culture. Thingyan is indeed the event for every Burmese, in Myanmar or outside.

Thingyan is actually not a true traditional Burmese custom. It is an imported cultural event, incorporated and extensively modified over several hundred years to become essentially a true Burmese cultural event. The origin of Thingyan can be traced back to India where it is one of the events of Hindi culture. The culture of Thingyan was brought into Burma by many Indian Brahmins who came to Burma to serve in the courts of Burmese kingdoms. As these Indian Brahmins held important positions in the court of Burmese kings, their culture, tradition and believes had great influence on the culture and tradition of Burmese royal courts. Thingyan is one of their cultural influences in the life of Burmese people.

The recorded Thingyan in the history of Burma was in Bagan era in the 13th century. Burmese historical accounts described the celebration of Thingyan in the royal court of Bagan. In one event, the king of Bagan, Nara Thiha Pathae ordered the ladies of his royal court to throw water at one of his wives to soak. Taking this as an act of humiliation, the wife took her revenge by plotting assassination against the king. However, the assassination plot was found out and the wife, together with all her relatives, was executed by burning alive. This is the earliest record of Thingyan in Burmese history.

The background of Thingyan is the celebration of the Burmese New Year (which actually is a modification of Indian calendar). Burmese New Year falls during the month of April. Every year, the Brahmins of The Burmese Calendar Committee advised on the government to the date of the Burmese New Year day. Thingyan is celebrated for three days prior to the New Year day. However, in certain years, Thingyan is celebrated for four days. The number of days is calculated by the Brahmins of the Calendar Committee.

Today, Thingyan is celebrated all over Myanmar. Every city, town and village celebrates Thingyan. This is the event for everyone. Rich and poor alike become the same during Thingyan. This is the time where all social and cultural barriers break down in Myanmar. If you have been to Myanmar before and you already have an idea of what Myanmar people are like, you will find a different aspect of Myanmar life and Myanmar people. You will see the most joyous, fun loving and wildest part of Myanmar people during Thingyan.

During Thingyan, people throw water at each other. People pour water from the cup, splash water from a bucket, spray water using water guns or pipes. In the past, people used to throw water in water balloons which can be very painful. Fortunately, this is now prohibited as it is quite painful and dangerous to the one on the receiving end. Another way of spraying water that used to be quite common was using water canons (strong water canons like those used by firefighters!) and pressurized water guns (the same one used by your car wash!). The former one can knocked you out of your car while the latter one is very painful and can cause serious abrasions on the skin. These methods of playing with water are now banned by the government.

Similar water festivals are held throughout South East Asia during Thingyan. For example, Thai Songkran is quite famous and well known among foreigners. However, Myanmar Thingyan is quite unique among all these water festivals. During Thingyan, all the offices, supermarkets and departments stores are closed while many shops and restaurants also close. Roads are totally blocked by pick up trucks and jeeps full of people who go out to get splashed and wet. Stages were constructed along main roads and people throw water from these stages at these on trucks and jeeps. Many people, including some girls, become drunk and there are occasional fights break out among young people. However, during Thingyan, most people restrain from getting angry and out of control. Boys and girls tease each other freely (which is not always permissible in normal circumstances) and this they take it without any offence. Every body get soak during this time and every body welcome a splash of water during this hottest time of the year. However, monks and pregnant women are exempted from this as it is considered very rude to throw water at monks and pregnant women.

After Thingyan is the Burmese New Year Day. On The New Year Day, everything returns to normal. Wild and mad people who occupied the streets of cities and towns all across Myanmar totally disappeared, replaced by clean, gentle and polite individuals clad in traditional longyi heading to pagodas and monasteries. A visitor might be quite amazed by this total change of behavior in the people overnight. However, this is how Thingyan changed behavior of ordinary Burmese citizens during that joyous three days.

For those of you who want to have a taste of what Myanmar Thingyan look like, here is a video documentary from Youtube.

Thingyan , the Myanmar New Year Festival

EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE IS SPLASHING each other with water from hoses, buckets and anything else that'll hold water, screaming and shouting, all in good humored merriment. All are drenched, and no one cares. A splash is meant to be a compliment and water will continue to fly in every direction until dusk.

Whether you're a local or foreigner, let yourself get soaked and stay healthy in the happy year ahead; as the auspicious water of the Thingyan Festival is the Myanmar way of ushering in the New Year.

The Thingyan Festival is observed with much job and merry making in all parts of the country, from the remotest hamlet to the bursting cities like Yangon, the capital and Mandalay.

Thingyan comes from the Pali (spoken Sanskrit) word Thinkanta which means a "changeover," referring to the transition from the old year to the new year. The timing of New Year's day, based on the Myanmar Lunar calendar every year. It occurs at the end of the first month of the Myanmar calendar, called Tagoo, which usually falls within the month of April in the Western calendar. Thingyan, the water festival is customarily celebrated for a period of three or four days up to the New Year's day. Since it is the hottest time of the year in Myanmar, just about everyone-the young and the not-so-young, the pious and the not-so-pious, local and foreign alike - take part in the water-dousing ritual with fun, enthusiasm and abandon.

Desent of the Heavenly King

According to the tradition, the astrologer compute the start of Thingyan by studying the positions of the various constellations. Burmese believe that this is the time of Thagyamin, the King of Celestial Gods, descends to earth. Myanmar Buddhists consider him as the caretaker of the Buddhist religion and revere him greatly.

On the eve of Thingyan, just about eve Myanmar household prepares an earthen pot filled with seven flowers representing seven days of the week, and places it in front of the house to welcome the descending Heavenly King. The period of Thingyan is determined by the length of his stay, i.e. the day of his descent, an intervening day (or two days in some years) and the day of his ascent.

For centuries Burmese have been celebrating Thingyan by dousing each other liberally with water. Water which symbolises cleanness, is supposed to wash off the impurities of the old year while, at the same time, serving as a welcome coolant amid summer heat and humidity. In the old days, the proper-custom was to carry the scented water in silver bowls and sprinkle each other gently using sprigs and eugenia.

Buckets and hoses may have largely replaced the silver bowls today, but the spirit remains the same. During Thingyan, revellers throng the main streets of Myanmar's cities. Here and there, beautifully decorated pavilions and stands are erected for water dousing and entertainment.

Hydrants, which have been carefully serviced over the preceding few weeks, are at their full power to supply hoses aimed at merrymakers. Sprays of water and shouts of Thingyan good wishes seem to fill the air. No one escapes. In fact, everyone is anxious to drench and get drenched as dousing is considered an act of compliment.

Originally Not A Buddhist Festival

In recent years, an increasing number of foreigners, including tourists, businessmen and members of the diplomatic community, take part in the merriment with utmost enthusiasm.Although Thingyan days are public holidays, most hotels, restaurants and shops stay open to cater to the revellers. Apart from the dousing, it is also a Thingyan custom to set up marquees for offering food to one and all. A typical Thingyan delicacy is Montloneyebor, which can be translated loosely as "floating dough balls," They are dumplings made of glutinous rice stuffed with brown sugar and served with grated coconut. Thingyan, like some other festivities celebrated in Myanmar, is not of Buddhist origin, but comes from traditional beliefs and customs. But as Burmese became devout Buddhists many centuries ago, they were no longer satisfied with treating it purely as an occasion for merry-making and amusement, and began to seek spiritual merits in it in the Buddhist context.

During the festivities as well as on New Year’s day itself, many Burmese thus visit Buddhist monasteries to offer alms to monks and observe Buddhist rites. Some gather at pagodas to wash Buddha images and clean the pagoda compounds. Commonly observed merit-making customs at this time also include the "saving" of fish destined for the market and cattle destined for the slaughter house.

Young people also accrue merits by paying homage to old folks of their town or village, manicuring, then bathing them and washing their hair. Some young people temporarily join Buddhist orders; young men and boys become monks while girls become nuns.

One widespread belief among the people is that the aforementioned Thagyarmin descends to the earth bearing two parchment books. In one made of gold, he is said to list the names of those doing good deeds, while in the other made of dog skin, he supposedly lists the names of evil-doers.

It is also believed that good deeds performed on New Year’s day, i.e. the day after Thagyarmin’s ascent, will bring good luck for the whole year. So the people stop their merry-making and concentrate, instead, on deeds that are considered meritorious, such as cleaning their houses from top to bottom, laundering all their dirty linen or washing their heads with traditional "shampoo." In the evening, they invite monks to their homes to have them recite sacred Buddhist verses in Pali to ward off evil spirits.

People enjoy spraying water to each other during Myanmar's traditional Thingyan Water Festival in Yangon, April 13, 2010. Thingyan Water Festival kicked off on Tuesday and will run for four days. (Xinhua/Jin Fei)

Young girls dance during Myanmar's traditional Thingyan Water Festival in Yangon, April 13, 2010. (Xinhua/Jin Fei)

People enjoy spraying water to each other during Myanmar's traditional Thingyan Water Festival in Yangon, April 13, 2010. (Xinhua/Jin Fei)

Young people pour water to each other during Myanmar's traditional Thingyan Water Festival in Yangon, April 13, 2010. (Xinhua/Ding Lingling)

People enjoy spraying water to each other during Myanmar's traditional Thingyan Water Festival in Yangon, April 13, 2010. Thingyan Water Festival kicked off on Tuesday and will run for four days.

Thingyan is the Myanmar new year festival

It is held in the month of Tagu every year. That has been the tradition since Tagaung Period and it became prominent in Bagan Period. The time and action at the water festival is very similar to Songkran water festival in Thailand.

Water is a symbol of coolness, clearness and cleansing of dirt and grime. The festival of Thingyan that is made most merry and enjoyable with pouring or throwing water on one another is taken as one that cleanses one and all of all dirt and grime of the old year and cools and clears the minds of the people for the new year.

Merry-making at Thingyan festival is intermingled with noble and pure activities of doing meritorious religious deeds in accord with the teachings of Buddha Dhamma.

Myanmar is full of very interesting festivals and the number one festival is Thingyan or water festival, very similar to Songkran festival in Thailand. Over time Myanmar integrated plenty of festivals from other countries into their festival schedule typical is Diwali the Indian festival of lights.

Myanmar Thingyan Festival

or Myanmar New Year Water Festival is performed everywhere in the country and lots of water flows down the pipes and buckets. Every Myanmar has a great time during Thingyan. According to the Myanmar calendar, Thingyan or New Year Day falls on every second week in April. Thingyan or water festival is celebrated for 3 days.

Thingyan water festival has been celebrated in Myanmar since about 500 years ago. Thingyan means -moving from one year to another year. But nobody really knows why the Myanmar people throw water onto each other, maybe it has something to do to overcome the dry weather season and get a taste for the rainy season to come.

Thingyan 2008

Water Festival Yangon

Another idea is during Thingyan

to wash away the sins committed during the whole year. Myanmar or maybe not only Myanmar, they have committed sins the whole year and maybe these sins could be washed away during Thingyan and clear mind and spirit by throwing Thingyan Water. Now everyone is completely innocent and can start making sins again. For merit making younger people wash the hair of old people during Thingyan. Another custom during Thingyan is to buy some fishes and let them loose into rivers or lakes on the last day of Thingyan.

Water Festival Myanmar	Thingyan Photo
Myanmar Thingyan Festival	Thingyan Festival

Thingyan in Yangon

Myanmar Thingyan Festival

Thingyan is probably the most celebrated, most joyous event in the culture and custom of Myanmar people. From the poorest to the richest in Myanmar, this is the greatest event for the year. Every body, poor, rich, uneducated, educated, young and old all participate and enjoy in this once a year event. For every Burmese, this is the event not to be missed. Even for those Burmese people in foreign countries, this is the time for a celebration in the memory of their homeland and their culture. Thingyan is indeed the event for every Burmese, in Myanmar or outside.
Thingyan is actually not a true traditional Burmese custom. It is an imported cultural event, incorporated and extensively modified over several hundred years to become essentially a true Burmese cultural event. The origin of Thingyan can be traced back to India where it is one of the events of Hindi culture. The culture of Thingyan was brought into Burma by many Indian Brahmins who came to Burma to serve in the courts of Burmese kingdoms. As these Indian Brahmins held important positions in the court of Burmese kings, their culture, tradition and believes had great influence on the culture and tradition of Burmese royal courts. Thingyan is one of their cultural influences in the life of Burmese people.

The recorded Thingyan in the history of Burma was in Bagan era in the 13th century. Burmese historical accounts described the celebration of Thingyan in the royal court of Bagan. In one event, the king of Bagan, Nara Thiha Pathae ordered the ladies of his royal court to throw water at one of his wives to soak. Taking this as an act of humiliation, the wife took her revenge by plotting assassination against the king. However, the assassination plot was found out and the wife, together with all her relatives, was executed by burning alive. This is the earliest record of Thingyan in Burmese history.

Myanmar Thingyan Festival will start on April 13 this year. But it might come a bit earlier from those Myanmar celebrating Thingyan overseas. May you all have fun at the water festival.

History

The origin of Thingyan, however, is not Buddhist but Hindu. The King of Brahmas called Arsi lost a wager to the King of Devas, Śakra (Thagya Min), who decapitated Arsi as agreed but put the head of an elephant on the Brahma's body who then became Ganesha. The Brahma was so powerful that if the head were thrown into the sea it would dry up immediately. If it were thrown onto land it would be scorched. If it were thrown up into the air the sky would burst into flames. Sakra therefore ordained that the Brahma's head be carried by one princess devi after another taking turns for a year each. The new year henceforth has come to signify the changing of hands of the Brahma's head.

Water Festival

The next day called a-kya nei is when Thingyan truly arrives as Thagya Min makes his descent from his celestial abode to earth. At a given signal, a cannon (Thingyan a-hmyauk) is fired and people come out with pots of water and sprigs of tha byay, then pour the water onto the ground with a prayer. A prophesy for the new year (Thingyan sa) will have been announced by the brahmins (ponna) and this is based on what animal Thagya Min will be riding on his way down and what he might carry in his hand. Children vill be told that if they have been good Thagya Min will take their names down in a golden book but if they have been naughty their names will go into a dog book!

Serious water throwing does not begin until a-kya nei in most of the country although there are exceptions to the rule. Traditionally, Thingyan involved the sprinkling of scented water in a silver bowl using sprigs of tha byay, a practice that continues to be prevalent in rural areas. The sprinkling of water was intended to metaphorically "wash away" one's sins of the previous year. In major cities such as Yangon, garden hoses, huge syringes made of bamboo, brass or plastic, water pistols and other devices from which water can be squirted are used in addition to the gentler bowls and cups, but water balloons and even fire hoses have been employed! It is the hottest time of the year and a good dousing is welcomed by most. Everyone is fair game except monks and obviously pregnant women. Some overenthusiastic young lads may get captured by women, who often are their main target, and become kids of a practical joke with soot from cooking pots smeared on their faces. Maidens from mandats with dozens of garden hoses exchange hundreds of gallons of water with throngs of revellers and one float after another. Many revellers carry towels to block the jet of water getting into the ear and for modesty's sake as they get thoroughly soaked and drenched in their light summer clothes. The odd prankster might use ice water and a drive-by splash with this would provoke shrieks of surprise followed by laughs from its victims. Pwè (performances) by puppeteers, orchestras, dance troupes, comedians, film stars and singers including modern pop groups are commonplace during this festival.

Myanmar Celebrity Thet Mon Myint's Myanmar Thingyan Traditonal Dance

Myanmar Cute and Beautiful Girl Thet Mon Myint. She is with a red traditonal dress and she dance the myanmar thingyan traditional dance.I think this photo is from myanmar thingyan 2010.

Hi, I would like to make a little announcement. If you want to download Thingyan songs in MP3 format and see music videos, you can visit Facebook page for Thingyan.

You can find news, photos, videos and songs on Thingyan Water Festival 2011 website.

Yangon

2010-12-15T19:25:00.000-08:00

Shwedagon Pagoda

Then King Banya U (AD 1353-1385) and his descendents reconstructed and enlarged it and raised it still higher. Queen Shin Saw Pu, the grand daughter of Banya U, had the pagoda enlarged and raised. She was the first Queen who donated and gilded the pagoda with gold equal to her weight. Her heir and son-in-law King Dhammazedi also continued to donate gold equal to his weight and that of his queen. He cast a huge bell 8 cubits in width at the mouth and 12 cubits in height. It was placed in a hall at the southern entrance of the pagoda.This huge bell was stolen by Filipe de Brittoe Nicote, a Portuguese merchant who later conquered Thanlyin.

He intended to melt it down and cast it into cannons. He was unable to achieve his plan, as the bell was lost in the Yangon River . Later Myanmar artisans claimed the bell and placed at the Shwedagon. Numerous Myanmar kings also made major developments to the pagoda and the surrounds, installing new Htis (Glorious Crown), gilding the pagoda and building rest houses and prayer halls.

Maha Wi Zaya Pagoda

This was built in 1980 as a replica of Shwezigon Pagoda at Nyaung Oo (Bagan). It is near the Shwedagon Pagoda, and the site is on the hillock where Queen Shin Saw Pu used to meditate and recite prayers whenever she visited Shwedagon. It contains relics of Buddha donated by the king of Nepal while visiting Myanmar . The construction design is mixed with modern and classic. There is a picture on the ceiling showing the positions of the constellation at the beginning of construction.

Sacred Tooth Relic Pagoda

While the Sixth Buddhist Synod was convening in Yangon in 1955, the People's Republic of China sent a good will mission of religious delegates along with a Genuine Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. This Sacred Tooth is sheltered in the Kwang Yi Su Temple in Beijing . It was sheltered in Maha Pasana Cave for respect and devotional admiration of the monks, laity and the venerable abbots of Buddhist countries who were attending the Synod.

In April of 1994, the Chinese religious delegates visited and presented two replicas of the Sacred Tooth for religious devotion and worship in Myanmar . The Dhama Pala hillock in Mayangon Township , Yangon (just a few hundred yards from Kaba Aye Pagoda) and the Shar Taw village in Amarapura Township , Mandalay Division were chosen and two Pagodas were constructed enshrining the Tooth Relics. These pagodas are reproduction of the Ananda at Bagan.

Lawka Chantha Abhaya Labha Muni Image

The famous stone sculptor of Mandalay , U Taw Taw, found a significantly large marble rock measuring 37.8 feet x 24 feet x 11 feet and weighing 500 ton. The marble, flawless and of high quality, was found in Zakyin village, Mattaya Township , 21 miles north of Mandalay .

U Taw Taw requested permission from the leaders of State to carve this marble rock into a grand Buddha image. The Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than Shwe gave guidance and granted permission for it to be conveyed to Yangon for public obeisance as a Buddha Image accord with religious tradition. The image was conveyed along the Ayeyarwaddy River in July 2000 on a 'Yadana Shwephaungdaw' (a huge raft decorated with jewels and gold) and taken to Mindama Hill, Yangon on August 2000.

Ah Lane Nga Sint

The name means a five-storey tower on the precincts of the pagoda. It indicates the five stages of the non-physical worlds.

Mai Lamu Pagoda

The interesting feature of this pagoda is a number of huge Buddha images and legendary figures such as spirits and mythical creatures associated with the Okkalapa city of that era. The pagoda was named after Mai Lamu, the mother of King Okkalapa, who originally founded Shwe Dagon.

Bo Ta Thaung Pagoda

Located on the Yangon River bank, the Bo Ta Thaung has for centuries been a navigator's landmark just as the Bu Paya was in ancient Bagan. Bo means a military officer and Ta Thaung means a thousand military personnel or vanguards, which were said to have constituted a guard of honour when the Buddhas' relics were personally received by King Okkalapa from India .

The pagoda was hit by an allied forces bomb in November 1943, and was rebuilt from public contributions in 1953. The removal of the debris afforded authentication of the origin of this pagoda because the excavations revealed a relic chamber and a stone casket inside it, shaped like a pagoda, and quite a variety of treasures such as precious stones, ornaments, engraved terra-cotta plaques, gold, silver, and brass and stone images. As many as 700 images were found.

One terra cotta plaque is of great historical significance because one side bears the image of Lord Buddha and other a Pali inscription in the evolved Brahmin script of South India . The script had been adopted by the Mon.

The new pagoda, built of reinforced concrete, closely follows the destroyed original and its height is 131 feet 8 inches. It retains the ancient motif and hollow inside so that people can enter.

Another unique feature is the showcases that have been worked into the walls all round to house the many relics that were unearthed during the excavation. In the centre, the exact spot of the old reliquary, is a well-like hollow which will be the depository of the sacred relics.

Maha Pasana Guha

Maha Pasana Guha or the great cave was created simultaneously with the Kaba Aye Pagoda in 1952. It is a replica of the Satta Panni cave where the First Buddhist Synod was convened over 2500 years ago in Rajagah now known as Rajgir in Bihar of India. The Maha Pasana Cave has six huge concrete pillars and six entrances to mark the Sixth Great Synod.

It is 455 feet in length and 370 feet in breadth. The assembly hall inside is 220 feet in length and 140 feet in width. About 2,500 members of Sanga and 7,500 laities can be seated in raised seating in the Maha Pasana Cave . The Congregation of the Sixth Buddhist Synod met here in 1954, and this is also known to be one of the mid-twentieth century historical land marks of Buddhist religion.

Kaba Aye Pagoda

Kaba Aye, meaning World Peace, was built to commemorate the Sixth Buddha Synod in 1954, held in Maha Pasana Guha (Cave) within the same compound.

The pagoda is 34 meters in height and 34 meters in circumference at the base. The pagoda has five entrances and hall space containing five Buddha images. There is also an image of the last Buddha (Gautama) made out of pure silver weighing 500 kilograms. Relics of the Buddha and two of His Chief disciples are also enshrined in the pagoda. There are concrete buildings for the accommodation of the reverend monks of Buddhist countries and learned monks of Myanmar well versed in the Buddhist. The scriptures are now used for monks studying higher-level religious instructions.

Nga Htat Kyi Pagoda

Nga Htat Kyi Pagoda is a sitting image of Buddha located in the Ashay Tawya Kyaung Tank.

Chauk Htat Kyi Pagoda

This pagoda with its reclining image of Buddha is on Shwegonedaing Road , opposite the Nga Htat Kyi Pagoda.

Koe Htat Kyi Pagoda

It has a 65 foot high sitting image enshrining relics of the Buddha, and is located in Sanchaung. There is also a reliquary inside the image of the Buddha.

Planetarium

The Planetarium displays are housed in a new building which was constructed in 1986 to aid the study of the solar system, astronomy and the weather.

Programs are displayed at the Planetarium in collaboration with astrological experts. Complex machinery used at the Planetarium is maintained with the co-operation of Japanese experts and Myanmar engineers.

The Planetarium is on Ahlone Road, Dagon Township, Yangon.

National Museum

The 5-storey National Museum was opened on September 18, 1996 to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the State Law and Order Restoration Council at a cost of 400 million kyats.

Displays includes showrooms featuring the Thihathana Throne, the Yadanabon Period, epigraphy and calligraphy, the Myanmar prehistoric period, natural history, royal regalia, Myanmar history, Myanmar performing arts, Myanmar traditional folk art, Myanmar ancient ornaments, national races culture, and Buddha images. The museum also features two art galleries showing Myanmar work.

The National Museum is located on Pyay Road, Dagon Township, Yangon. It is opened daily.

Defence Services Museum

The purpose of this new three storey museum is to preserve military equipment and artifacts from the period of the Myanmar kings through to the contemporary period. The Museum has 52 showrooms displaying ancient and modern martial arts, weapons, uniforms, emblems, and historical pictures.

The Museum is on Shwedagon Pagoda Road in Dagon Township, Yangon.

Myanmar Gems Museum

This Museum highlights the history of one of Myanmar's most important natural resources, gems. Myanmar gems are among the world's best, and many exciting and fascinating items are exhibited here in over 100 countries. The Museum is on Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Mayangon Township, Yangon.

Drugs Elimination Museum

This museum was opened on June 26, 2001 to commemorate the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The Museum documents the nation's fight against the scourge of drugs. Displays document the introduction of opium by colonial powers, and many other facts and artifacts.

The Museum is on the corner of Kyundaw Road and Hanthawaddy Road, Kamayut Township, Yangon.

National Theatre of Yangon

During a good will State Visit by the People's Republic of China to Myanmar in 1985, the Chinese President Mr. Lee Shan offered to build a modern theatre as a gift in commemoration of the good-will between the two countries.

The Government of Union of Myanmar accepted the offer, and plans were drawn to construct the building in cooperation with Chinese engineers and Myanmar technicians and workers.

Construction began on June 3, 1987, and was completed on December 27 1990 at a total cost of 150 million kyats. The theatre was officially opened on January 31, 1991. New seats have just been added.

The theatre is used for cultural exchange programs with foreign countries, for departmental workshops, religious ceremonies, prize giving ceremonies, performing arts competitions, and for musical stage shows.

Nat Shin Naung Memorable Tomb

Nat Shin Naung, who was only nine, marched and conquered Yodayar (Thailand) with his father King Nanda of Hantharwaddy in AD 1587. Nat Shin Naung cracked down Sawbwa of Moe Kaung who revolt against King of Hantharwaddy in1590. After the two successes of high caliber in battles he was awarded for his gallantry. In 1592, the fourth march to Yodaya was made with the loss of Crown Prince Mingyi Swa in the battle field, but Nat Shin Naung had got the opportunity to show his bravery at the age of 14. However, the romance of Nat Shin Naung and Yaza Datu Kalayar, the bereaved wife of Crown Prince, was one of the strangest love stories in the history of Myanmar literature. Nat Shin Naung was 18 years younger than Yaza Datu Kalayar who happened to be his uncle's wife.

Nat Shin Naung wrote a lot poems, forlorn verse and Ratus describing his of passionate love for Datu Kalayar as well as travelogues comprised of the nature of that period while on his missions through out the of his father's empire. He became Crown Prince at Taungoo in 1603 AD and acceded to throne in 1607 AD. After 11 years of court-ship he married to Datu Kalayar at the age of 25, but Datu Kalayar died 7 months after the marriage. With criminal twist of mind Nat Shin Naung made friends with Phillipe De Britto (Nga Zingar) chief of Thanlyn to take revenge against Innwa King who conquered Taungoo. But De Britto wittily attacked Taungoo and took Nat Shin Naung as prisoner of war to Than Lyn and compelled to be Roman Catholic. In the same year Maha Dhamma Rajar of Inwas attacked Thanlyn; and captured De Britto and Nat Shin Naung. Both of them were crucified and executed in Thanlyn.

Yangon Zoological Garden

Located in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, Yangon Zoological Garden is almost 100 years old now as it was established in 1906, the earliest of its kind in Myanmar. With the coverage area of 69.25 acres, it is situated in close proximity to the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda, Kandawgyi Lake, Aquarium, Karaweik Palace and Yangon Railway Station. The Zoological Garden was established with the intention of providing relaxation to the public, helping provide extracurricular studies to students and general knowledge to enthusiasts in the fields of Zoology and Botany, educating and persuading the general public in the protection of wildlife, and propagating and conducting research on the perpetuation of rare species of wild animals and birds.

There are about 300 tree species, totaling over 15,000 trees, planted in the Garden. Among them are such species as Thawkagyi, Linlun, Padiphyu, Meze, Karamek, Sagawa, Layhnyin, Zardeikpho, etc. Moreover, there exist 59 species of mammals, 60 species of birds, 18 species of reptiles, amounting to over 1,300 species. In addition, wild animals such as elephant, rhinoceros, tapir, hippopotamus, camel, tiger, lion, deer, various species of monkey, snake, tortoise, crocodile, various species of bird, a pair of tusks of the white elephant that died in 1219 - 1857 during the reign of King Thibaw, 72 feet long skeleton of a whale 72 feet in length, and a statue of Stegosaurus are also on display.

When you come to Yangon, you should not miss the opportunity for one-stop observation of the collection of wild animals, birds, reptiles, indigenous to Myanmar, that would only be possible at Yangon Zoological Garden. Some of the opportunities for study and recreation include rides in elephant-cart, horse-cart, or on elephants and horses, free snake and elephant shows on weekends and public holidays, and an easy access to fauna and flora either for studies or for enjoyment.

Hlawga Park

This park was founded in 1982 at Mingaladon Township in Yangon Division, just 22 miles from downtown Yangon. Tigers, leopards, bears and other carnivorous animals are housed in the 62 acre park and in the mini zoo. Sambhur deer, barking deer, and hog deer freely graze in the 818 acres of natural forest. Attractions include elephant rides and shows, and 165 species of birds and plus 25 species of migratory birds also inhabit the park. Facilities include an environmental education centre, an information centre, a guide map, ample car parking, open decks and scenic picnic sites.

The Great Mingun Bell

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That title is owned by Burma's Mingun Bell, which rings near the city of Sagaing, at the Mingun pagoda, some 11 km (7 miles) upriver from Mandalay, in the center of Burma, on the opposite bank of the Ayeyarwaddy and accessible only by river. A 45-minute boat trip to Mingun is very pleasant with plenty of life on the river to see.

This bell was cast by King Bodawpaya on 28 April 1808 and is about 13 feet tall. It weighs 55555 peik-thar, or 90.55 metric tons (about 200 US tons). (Peik-thar are a traditional unit of weight equalling 3.6 lbs (1.63 kg)— that's what the five characters that look like 9's on the side of the bell in the picture to the right mean.)

The pagoda itself was the main jewel in the crown of an ambitious building campaign sponsored by King Bodawpaya (ruled 1782-1819). The largest brick temple in Asia, its outline broods over the western bank of the Irrawaddy River from the hamlet of Mingun. Its base is 256 feet square and it rises some 150 feet. It is now viewed as little more than a curiosity, enhanced by dramatic fissures in its wall created by an earthquake in 1839-- visitors can even climb to the top by a modern stairway mounted on the most ruined corner fo the monument, though no access to the summit existed originally.

The Mingun is Asia's, and indeed, the world's, largest bell. Cast by Bodawpaya to complemlent the huge pagoda, it stands in its original location some 50 yeards to the northeast of the pagoda. The pagoda is still considered unfinished, since it is without a tower, but historians believe King Bodawpaya may have intended to sacrifice height for girth from the very beginning, and thus it may have been considered finished by the king himself. Pagodas were built to venerate sacred objects interred beneath them-- in fact, the word "pagoda" derives from *dagaba* (relic chamber), a term adopted into English after it was encountered in Buddhist Sri Lanka.

The World’s Three Largest Bells

Russia's famous Tsar-Kolokol is the largest bell in the world, of course, but it is broken. Apart from that, if you inspect our list of bells larger than 1,000 puds (36,000 lbs, or about 18 metric tons or more), you'll probably be surprised to see that the world's biggest working bells are not in Russia, but in Burma, Korea, and Japan. Another is under water, but there has lately been some talk of trying to locate and raise it. Yet another was lost in World War II. Only then, sixth or seventh down the list, do we find Trinity-Sergius Lavra's "Tsarsky Kolokol", or "Royal Bell".

One day we hope to tell more about Asia's fascinating bells, but it's interesting to compare what we've been able to learn so far, with the Russian giant:

The Great Sunken Bell of Dhammazedi

Burmese chronicles relate that King Dhammazedi, 9th of the Mon kings of Burma (now known as Myanmar), who reigned at Hanthawaddy (Bago) from 1464 onward, had ordered a census of households in his kingdom sometime around the year 1480. However, his over-zealous ministers not only counted the households; they also taxed them— thus obtaining some 180,000 vis (293.4 metric, or about 600 US tons) of copper. King Dhammazedi was not pleased and so, to allay his wrath, the ministers proposed to have the copper cast into a bell. That was how the biggest bell in history came to be. The chronicles also note that the date chosen for the casting of the Bell, 5 February 1484, was astrologically inappropriate and that the Bell had an unpleasant sound.

He presented the bell to the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon (then known as Dagon). According to texts of the time, the bell metal included silver and gold as well as copper and tin. The bell is also said to have been encrusted with emeralds and sapphires. In view of the opulence of the pagoda itself, the story is likely true. The bell itself was said to be twelve cubits high and eight cubits wide. Another, smaller bell of 500 vis (about 5/6 of a ton) was cast at the same time and also offered to the Buddha.

A century later, in 1583, Venetian gem merchant named Gasparo Balbi visited ancient Dagon and described the Shwedagon Pagoda at length. He wrote, "I found in a fair hall a very large bell which we measured, and found to be seven paces and three hand breadths and it is full of letters from the top to the bottom, so near together that one touches the other, but there was no Nation that could understand them."

By 1530 the Mon kings were in decline and in 1535 Lower Burma had become subject to Upper Burma. At the same time, European traders and adventurers had begun to make contacts in Lower Burma. So in the 1590s, with the authority of the rulers in Upper Burma, a Portuguese adventurer, Filipe de Brito y Nicote, set up a new trading post at Syriam and by 1600 had extended his power across the river to Dagon and the surrounding countryside.

Thus in 1608 De Brito removed the Dhammazedi bell from the Shwedagon Paaoda, rolled it down the hill to a raft in the Pazundaung Creek and had it hauled by elephants to the river. The the bell and raft were lashed to his flagship for the journey across the river to Thanlyn (Syrian) to be melted down and made into ships cannons.

However, at the confluence of the Bago and Yangon Rivers off what is now known as Monkey Point, the raft broke up and the bell went to the bottom, taking Filipe de Brito's ship with it— justly, we think. The Portugeuse suffered for their bungled looting, too— their entire garrison was killed in an attack by angry Burmese, and records suggest the Portuguese leader died a slow death on bamboo stakes.

All accounts of the history of Rangoon insist that Dhammazedi's bell was never recovered and until the late 1800's the top of it could still be seen above water at low tide. Some witnesses today tell of being rowed out to the bell site by their elders to watch the water eddy over the top of the submerged bell. The river isn't especially deep, (40 feet), but at the bottom there is 40 feet more of mud. The bell is somewhere in the mud.

A smaller bell, known as the Bodawpaya, was also taken from the Shwedagon Pagoda by British Prize Agents in 1826 and lost in the river. However, it was abandoned by the British and recovered by the local inhabitants and returned to the pagoda.

There are other great bells on view on the Shwedagon, but they are much later than Balbi"s time.

King Singu, had a 24.6 metric (50 US)-ton bronze bell, 2.1 m high and 2.0 m wide at the mouth, cast and offered to the Shwedagon on 17 January 1779. Known as the Mahagandha Bell, it can be found today on the northwest side of the main pagoda platform. The British pillaged the pagoda during their 1824 to 1826 wartime occupation and tried to carry the bell to Calcutta, but fell victim to the same fate as de Brito: this bell, too, sank into the river.

The British failed in several attempts to raise it. The Myanmars said they would raise the bell on the condition it would be returned to its original resting place in the pagoda, and the British, thinking nothing would come out of the attempt, agreed. But the Myanmars had an ingenious plan. Divers tied countless bamboo poles underneath the bell and floated it to the surface. The undertaking helped to instill the Myanmars with nationalism during the years of British occupation.

The other bell, 42.5 metric (85 US) tons in weight, 4.3 m high and 2.2 m wide at the mouth, was cast and donated by King Tharrawaddy on 19 February 1843. It is known as the Mahatissada and is located at the northeast corner of the pagoda enclosure.

Dhammazedi's Bell To Be Recovered?

Mike Hatcher

The Burmese government has asked an English marine biologist / archaeologist / adventurer (you know the type) named Mike Hatcher and his team to raise the bell; they want to see it restored to the Pagoda. Hatcher has agreed to undertake the project, which has involvement from Japanese, Australian and American companies. Richard Gere, a committed and active supporter of Buddhist ideals, is involved in raising funds. The project would undoubtedly inspire curiosity at an international level. The German film company which will be shooting the expedition says, "Should the salvage operation succeed, the reaction in the Buddhist world would be comparable to finding the Holy Grail in the Christian West."

One of Burma's most sacred religious relics, it is believed that its restoration in the pagoda will bring good fortune back to Myanmar. Certainly, recovery of King Dhammazedi"s Bell— the offering of a devout king and his people to one of Myanmar"s most sacred shrines— would restore a lost heritage to the Myanmar people. In more ways than one, in fact´ for the bell"s inscription would provide valuable material for historical and linguistic scholarship.

The project is not without its opponents: Some pro-democracy campaigners say the salvage operation might be misconstrued as an endorsement by the international community of Myanmar's military dictatorship, and should wait until talks with the regime have progressed or until such time as a democratic government is in place.

One of seven salvage projects forecast for Mike Hatcher and his team in 2001, Mike's team was slated to begin the search for the precise location of the Dhammazedi Bell in March that year. After a flurry of excitement stirred up by BBC's announcement of the project, however, it apparently did not get off the ground, perhaps (we speculate) due to complications involved in his discovery in June 2000 of a huge sunken wreck in Indonesian waters, with the largest collection of porcelain ever found.

If the project ever does go forward, divers will use personal mounted sonar with night vision goggles and copper sulphate detectors to locate the bell, since the mud around all that bronze would have a high concentration of copper sulphate. About nine months after the survey they expect to lift the Bell from the river. To do this, they will have to build a small version of a North Sea Oil platform in the muddy rapids of the confluence of two rivers, and assemble a large crane to lift the bell out of the water. Once it is lifted, they will construct a railway to transport it uphill about half a mile to the Shwedagon Pagoda. This final operation will take about four months.

Myanmar White Elephants

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Rare albino Elephants.

Bio of Myanmar

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Harry Potter & Burma Snake

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SHIN BYU

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Shin Byu

A Shin Byu procession is in central Burma. An ethnic Burmese boy, like all Buddhists in Burma, is not considered a good Buddhist until he has gone through this initiation rite, which involves him dressing up as the Prince Siddhartha Guatama (who became the Buddha) and riding to the monastery, where his head is shaved, he takes on the robes of a monk and he lives in the monastery to receive instructions.

THE NAGA

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The Naga

The name Naga embraces a number of Indo-Mongoloid tribes who speak a distant Tibeto-Burmese language and live in the mountain regions of the India-Burma border. Around one million Nagas live in India, although some 100,000 inhabit the Patkai range in northern Burma. Traditionally fierce warriors and, until recently, head-hunters, the Nagas have defended their land against incursions by Indian and Burmese government troops.

Unlike the Was, who took human skulls to safeguard their society and crops, the Nagas killed for personal glory and for the glory of their villages. The practice of head-hunting is believed to have died out in the past twenty years. Although Nagas would not buy skulls like the Was sometimes did, slaves were bought to be decapitated for their skulls and their heads were hung in baskets high in bamboo groves with arrows driven through the eye sockets, to ensure that the ghost would protect the village.

THE CHIN

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The Chin, or Zomi, are a Tibeto - Burmese people who inhabit the great mountain chain running up western Burma into Mizoram in north-east India. In previous centuries, the difficult terrain meant that there was a little communication between villages.

More than forty sub-groups, many distinguished by their unique facial tattoos and costumes, have been identified among the 1.5 million Chins in Burma. According to folklore, the custom of tattooing originated almost a thousand years ago, after Burmese men found the Chin women so attractive that they would capture them in slave raids. In their fear, the women began to tattoo their faces – both to make themselves look unattractive, and to ensure that Chin men would be able to identify them if they were carried off.

BURMESE PUPPET

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Burmese marionette theatre – or yok-thei pwe – was developed during the reign of King Bagydaw in the early nineteenth century and was the forerunner of live theatre. There are still a few master puppeteers in Burma, but the skill is dying out and efforts have been made to train youngsters in the art.

THE PADAUNG

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The Padaung

The Padaung are found in a 150-square-mile area of Kayah State and Shan State, west of the Salween river and around the Pekon hills, which rise to 5,000 feet. For centuries they have been objects of curiosity and were once brought to the palace of the King of Mandalay for inspection. They are part of the Kayan subgroup of Karens. Although known in the world as Padaung, they call themselves Ka-Kaung, which means people who live on top of the hill.

The Padaungs are often nicknamed ‘giraffe women’ or the ‘long-necked Karens’ because of the custom of encasing the neck in brass coils. The practice is fast disappearing, and today can only be found in a few villages. When a girl is aged between five and nine, her neck is rubbed with ointment said to be made of dog fat, coconut milk and royal jelly, and the first neck ring is fitted. After two years, the next set of coils is added and every year therefore she gains a new set until she marries.

LAKE INLE

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Intha people can be found living on or around Lake Inle in Shan State. Speaking a distinctive and unusual Burmese dialect, there is mystery over their origins in this area. Like the Pa-Os and Taungyos, it is thought that they are arrived from Lower Burma many centuries ago. By one account, they are descendants of southern Burmese who migrated north during the reign of the King Narapatisithu (1174-1210), although some scholars believe they stem from slaves taken captive during on-and-off wars with the Mons and Tavoyans.

The Intha are famous for their highly individual rowing technique. Fisherman wrap a paddle around one hand and leg and use this to propel the boat, while balancing precariously on the other. This position leaves them with one hand free, allowing them to drop a large conical new over passing fish in the shallow waters of the lake.

Popa

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Mount Popa is an volcano whose outer casing of soil has been washed away, exposing the rock core which rises 1,500 feet above the plains outside Bagan. Traditionally, every Burmese king would make a pilgrimage to Mount Popa, the legendary home of the Nats or spirits. To consult them before his reign could begin. Pilgrims visit Mount Popa in the Burmese month of nayon (May to June) to celebrate the annual festival of spirits.Of the thirty-seven Nats, the two most revered are the Mahagiri Nats who live in Mount Popa. Legend has it that they were a brother and sister who lived in the sixth century; the brother was reputedly burned alive in a flowering jasmine tree by the king, and his grief-stricken sister, the king’s wife, threw herself into the same fire.

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Kyaikitiyo Pagoda

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Kyaikitiyo Pagoda is, along with Bagan and the Shwedagon, one of country’s most wondrous sites. A small stupa is perched on the top of the gargantuan ‘Golden Rock’, a huge boulder covered in gold leaf which a balances precariously on the edge of a cliff at the top of Mt Kyaikto. At dawn, as pilgrims light incense and fires around its base, the huge golden dome shimmers in the early morning light, catching the first rays of sunshine.

Dhammayangyi _BAGAN

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Dhammayangyi Pagoda was built by King Narathu in the mid - twelfth century and is the largest of the pagodas found on the plains of Bagan. The so-called city of ‘four million temples’ on the banks of the Irrawaddy River was founded in the mid - ninth century by the Burmese and was sacked by Kublai Khan and his Mongol armies in 1287. Today, the ancient city is uninhabited and the remnants of thousands of temples, Nat shrines and pagodas stand alone across the arid plains. The reclining Buddha is a common pose, representing the Buddha’s attainment of nirvana.

Burmese or Myanmar

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The Burmese

The upper and central plains of Burma are the traditional home of the Burma, a Tibeto-Burma people who migrated from the north and China- India borderlands up until the eleventh century AD. The Burmese ( or Bamas or Myanmar ) established their greatest capital at Pagan between 1044 and 1287 AD on the banks of the Irrawaddy. Later capitals were built at Ava, Amarapura, Sagaing, Mandalay, and Toungoo.

Today, Burmese form the largest ethnic group in the country, with 50 million people – about 60 percent of the population – speaking only their language, Burmese. In the past century, many minority groups, especially Mons and Karens, has become assimilated as Burmese migrants spread into new areas.

Like the Mons, the rich culture of the Burmese, who are strongly Buddhist, shows influences of Indian civilizations. These include Pali script (derived from Sanskrit), cosmetology, philosophy and statecraft, art, medicine and architecture.

Geography of Burma

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The varied and rugged geography of Burma has done much to shape the vibrant ethnic diversity that exists in the country today. Across the centuries the great horseshoe of mountains that surround the central Irrawaddy River valley has acted as a defense barrier to the invading armies of foreign powers. Simultaneously, the same mountains and deep river valleys have witnessed the constant migration of different ethnic peoples of almost every kind. Some have passed through, some have intermarried or merged with other cultures and peoples along the way, while others have retreated into remote mountains and forests, where many unique cultures have evolved and still survive.

The different terrains often reflect the histories and economies of the different ethnic peoples. In the far north of Burma, where the Kachins and Nagas live, there are snow-capped peaks which stretch into the foothills of the Himalayas, while in the far south, amongst the Mons, Tavoyans and Salum sea- gypsies of Tenasserim, there are lush rain forests and intense tropical heat. On the fertile plains of the Irrawaddy Delta rice is the major crop, and this fact earned Burma the nickname of the ‘rice-bowl of Asia’ in British days. But rich natural resources still remain, whether in the jade mines of Kachin State, the ruby mines of Shan State, or in the unexploited seas off the Rakhine coast.

Settlement patterns have also had an important impact on the development of social and political cultures. While the Mons and Burmans settled on the sun-baked central plains, practicing wet-rice cultivation and establishing great city- kingdoms, the Shan occupied highlands valleys across the north- neast Mountains, where many small fiefdoms and constantly changing confederations emerged. Further up the mountains, minority peoples such as the Kachins, Was and Chins remained mostly in the forests where they practiced shifting cultivation in villages that were often autonomous

In the process of such movements, individual ethnic groups developed a very different array of local cultures. Karen migrants, for an example, who passed into south-east Burma down the eastern Salween River valley mostly stayed in hills, where an extraordinary variety of sub-cultures evolved in the rugged mountains of Kayah State and hill-tracts above Toungoo. By contrast, Karen settlers who moved down the central Irrawaddy and Sittang River valleys into the plains areas of Lower Burma changed over the centuries to wet-rice cultivation, Buddhism and many of the daily practices of their Mon and Burman neighbors.From this complex past, ethnic places and names have yet to become standardized. Burma has itself been known by different names and pronunciations in the past, as have cities, such as Rangoon and Sittwe, or different peoples, including the Shan or Padaung. In 1989, the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council changed the name of Burma to Myanmar for official international usage. It also introduced new transliterations for many other names, including Bama for Burman or Burmese, Ayeyarwady for Irrawaddy, Pathein for Bassein, and Mawlamyine for Moulmein. Such titlesw, however, are yet to be widely known.