MYANMAR is celebrating the traditional Thingyan festival, one of the nation’s 12 seasonal festivals. With spirits running high these days, revellers must take care to stay away from drugs which, as we know, have turned into a major problem not just in Myanmar, but across the world.
March, April and May are the hottest months in Myanmar. During this time, the country experiences a high ultraviolet (UV) index and unfavourable weather conditions for a period of three months, until the rainy season in mid-June.
The Myanmar traditional New Year day falls in mid-April. Thingyan means transitioning from the old to the New Year, and this is the time we say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new.
There are over 130 ethnic tribes in Myanmar, and each tribe has its own traditional culture and customs. Every ethnic tribe celebrates its own traditional festival, praying for good weather, a good harvest, protection from disease, and peace in the country.
The prolonged continuance of camps for the internally displaced in four states, Kachin, Kayah, Shan, and Rakhine, has posed a roadblock in the path of development of people driven out of their homes by conflict.
