Thingyan Water Festival

An Image of Thingyan Water Festival

An Image of Dumpling Making

I interviewed my friend Moe Oo, anonymous, and asked her to talk about an occupation that is important to her. Moe Oo is a woman in her thirties, from Myanmar, who studies software engineering in graduate school in California. She talked about her memories about the Myanmar Thingyan Festival, what they call the Water Festival, in her childhood. 

The Myanmar Thingyan Festival is an annual festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It is the biggest festival in Myanmar and has a history of more than 900 years. When Moe Oo was a child, she remembers that she was very excited about the festival coming. Around the time of the Lunar New Year and the Thingyan Festival, almost of all Myanmar public agencies, companies and schools are closed for ten days. Families and relatives gathered in their home towns and visited with each other to celebrate the New Year together.

The Water festival continues for four days. The city sets up several special places for this Thingyan festival. The festival's uniqueness is that people scatter water on everybody there, so it is called “Water Festival.” Moe Oo and her brother were excited to splash or spray water on anybody in the park from their buckets or using a hose. Nobody complains or gets angry about being splashed or even soaked, because it is their tradition. Both people "watering" others and those getting wet are smiling and happy and having fun. Moe Oo enjoyed watering others in the parks till she was 12 years old.

They say that the Water festival has been influenced by Myanmar traditions. Spraying or splashing water means washing away bad luck and allowing good luck to come in the new year. In another ceremony to celebrate the new year, people release fish in ponds or rivers. The ceremony means that by freeing things rather than keeping them in your hands you will brings good luck.

While the kids are excited to wet anybody in the festival parks, many adults attend ceremonies in the temples and pray to initiate the new year. Moe Oo started going to the temple with her parents when she was 12 yrs old.  

After "watering" people, Moe Oo would go home for lunch where her mom had prepared traditional foods, that is various dumplings, for the New Year. Her favorite was a sweet rice cake made by her mother.

Moe Oo’s mom had many sisters. Although they and their families lived far away, they visited Moe Oo’s family to celebrate the New Year together. They all talked to each other excitedly to catch up and they prayed for the whole family. Moe Oo loved being with her aunties and their families. Later when Moe Oo grew up, her brother lived with his own family, far from his mom. Her mom really looked forward to their visit for the New Year. Moe Oo’s mom was so happy to be able to cook his favorite chicken dish.

On the afternoons of the Water Festival, Moe Oo and her family visited the festival parks one after another. Festival parks were crowded with people who enjoyed eating and drinking festive foods, and dancing with music played by the many bands. They also enjoyed popular entertainers’ performances to celebrate the New Year. Moe Oo and her family passed by their friends, saying hello and praying for their good luck. Moe Oo was very young. She remembers she was really happy with her family and celebrating the New Year together.

But now, her brother lives in Myanmar and Moe Oo is in California. Moe Oo has been living abroad for many years. It has been six years since she last celebrated the New Year in Myanmar. At that time she spent the four days in the parks watching kids and adults wetting people and enjoying music and dancing. Since she lives abroad, she spends the new year there. Most years, like this new year, she feels lonely, being away at Water Festival time. So she calls her relatives in Myanmar for new year’s greetings and looks forward to the chance to catch up with them and their families.