Myanmar Memorabilia

Myanmar Memorabilia

U Tin U (Myaung)

Cover Design by APK

Published by TODAY PUBLISHING HOUSE Ltd at Smashwords

Copyright 2010 TODAY PUBLISHING HOUSE Ltd

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First Edition August 2010

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Yangon

Yankin Centre, Room No. F-24, 1st Floor, Yankin Tsp.

Sein Gay Har Super Centre, 2nd Floor, No. 44, Pyay Road.

Gamone Pwint (Ground Floor), No. 245, Bargayar Road,Sanchaung Tsp.

Gamone Pwint Shopping Mall, Room No. 26, 2nd Floor, Gabaraye Pagoda Road, Mayangone Tsp.

Maw Tin Tower Junction Centre, Room No. 310, 3rd Floor, Corner of Anawyahtar & Lanthit (Maw Tin) Road, Lanmadaw Tsp.

Mandalay

No. 4, 26th-B Street, Between 78th×79th Streets, Meeyahta Teik Tan, Chan Aye Thar Zan Tsp. Tel: 09-65-02072

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OUR THREE MAIN NATIONAL CAUSES

Non-disintegration of the union Our cause

Non-disintegration of national solidarity Our cause

Consolidation of national sovereignty Our cause

PEOPLE'S DESIRE

Oppose those relying on external elements, acting as stooges, holding negative views.

Oppose those trying to jeopardize stability of the State and progress of the nation.

Oppose foreign nations interfering in internal affairs of the State.

Crush all internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy.

FOUR POLITICAL OBJECTIVES

Stability of the State, community peace and tranquillity, prevalence of law and order

National reconsolidation

Emergence of a new enduring State Constitution

Building of a new modern developed nation in accord with the new State Constitution

FOUR ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES

Development of agriculture as the base and all-round development of other sectors of the economy as well

Proper evolution of the market-oriented economic system

Development of the economy inviting participation in terms of technical knowhow and investments from sources inside the country and abroad

The initiative to shape the national economy must be kept in the hands of the State and the national peoples

FOUR SOCIAL OBJECTIVES

Uplift of the morale and morality of the entire nation

Uplift of national prestige and integrity and preservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage and national character

Uplift of dynamism of patriotic spirit

Uplift of health, fitness and education standards of the entire nation

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Contents

1. Thingyan

2. The Scripture Examination of Nayon

3. Military Parades of Pyatho

4. Appearances are Deceptive

5. The Buddha-Day

6. Some Moral Lessons That Can Be Learnt From History

7. Following in the Footsteps of Sri Dhammãsoka : The Thitagu International Buddhist Academy

8. The Eastern Star, Pubba-kyai

9. Some Endearing Aspects of our National Culture

10. Far From the Madding Crowd

11. Thadinygyut : the Festival of Lights

12. Wagaung : Food Offering By Casting Lot

13. Tazaungdine Festival

14. Nadaw Festival

15. Some Salient Aspects of the Myazedi Inscription in Bagan

16. Tempted : Drama in real life

17. A Day in the Life in a Myanmar Monastery

18. Tabaung Festival

19. The Harvest Festival of Tabodwe

20. Wazo : The Ordination Ceremony

21. Upcoming Festivals

22. A day in the life of a Myanmar Buddhist Nun (Thilashin)

23. Betel, Tobacco and Pickled Tea, Myanmar Gestures of Hospitality (2)

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THINGYAN

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The Water-throwing Festival

Tagu (April), the first month of the Myanmar calendar, is the month for the much-expected Water-throwing Festival. The weather is arid, the occasional puffs of wind heated, and all nature seems tired under the scorching sun. The previous month, Tabaung, has been hot but it was cool in the mornings and evenings. At least the noon heat was bearable. Now it is more dusty, thirsty; what a long, long day — twelve hours of daylight. Oh, for a joyous soaking of Thingyan showers!

On the mental side, too tiredness has set in. The old year is approaching its close. There have been both weal and woe over the last twelve months of the year. But hopefulness of the mind for the future holds a curious expectancy for the new year. Ring the old year out, let's ring in the new year!

Yet, Thingyan-eve is one of the most, if not the most, exciting of Myanmar season. The men-folk at their monotonous routine brace up with the happy thought of the oncoming holidays, the womenfolk make preparations for the year's most absorbing festival. So you see at the secluded corner of the house a small table or row of tables with three earthen pots filled with a variety of flowers in water. The Thabye (Eugenia), Myeza (doob grass) and Zi (Zizyphus) are, of course, there, whatever the rest might be. The Thabye is an auspicious and its new leaves are termed not merely leaves but flowers. The housewife has her larder filled with the necessary provisions, for Thingyan is a period of complete rest from all commercial activity for three full days. She would be busy planning for the snack bar, an important spot during the Thingyan.

Thingyan is a Myanmar borrowing from Sanskrit Sankranta which means changing over or rotating. According to popular legend, this rotating originated from the beginning of the universe when a certain Brahma named Kali and Sakka, the King of the Celestial world, referred a dispute to a sage of the earthly world wherein the Brahma was adjudged the loser. Consequently, the Brahma had his head cut off as mutually agreed beforehand, and the noble head found no fitting resting place. Hence the winner Sakka arranged to have the Brahma's head held in the hands of each of the selected celestial maidens for a period of one year. Sankranta is the time of rotation of guardianship of the head when it changes hands. Connected with it is the popular belief that during the Thingyan period the Thangyamin (the Myanmar name for Sakka who is also identified with the Vedic deity Indra) makes his annual visit to the realms of earth and notes down the names of the good doers and the evil doers.

One might not give much thought to this eerie legend but the connotation of the word Sankranta still holds good. It means changing over, and to be realistic, it is applied to the changing of the year, although Hindu astronomy would apply it to the changing of the season from Mina (Tabaung) to Mesa (Tagu).

The custom of water-throwing also is traced back to Buddhistic legend. It is said that in the Buddha's day the royal Sakya family spent a frolicking time each year at this season near some beautiful lake, throwing water at one another. This legend perhaps fascinated a Bagan King, Narasihapate (the last of the Bagan Dynasty) who, the Glass Palace Chronicle records, enjoyed the water-throwing festival at this month of the year. It is stated that he had all the royal route from his palace to the bathing-site on the Ayeyawady fully enclosed — and the bathing-site also was enclosed from public view — when he and his maids-of-honour indulged in the water frolic.

What we are concerned here is not the origin of this festival but its spirit. Thingyan is a festive occasion when the Myanmar people, young and old, indulge in fun and frolic. It is a time of good will and cheer, of innocent indulgence and laughter. Water is thrown at each other without discrimination, and retaliated likewise in good sport. Even the shyest girl is not spared and she responds with good humour and courage. The underlying meaning of the water-throwing is to cleanse the dirt, physical as well as mental, that may have accumulated about the person in the course of the year. And cleanse it does. One feels refreshed, nay, resuscitated at the cool touch of Thingyan showers on one's body. If there had been misunderstandings between persons it is now forgotten; if there had been ill-will it is now washed away. The whole nation goes for the festival and there is a blessed period of carefree life, jovial and happy, which has immense recreational value.

The exact date and the precise time of the commencement and termination of Thingyan are fixed by astrological calculations and publicly notified. On the morning of the Thingyan Commencement day, the family wash their hair with specially-prepared juice obtained from kimmun fruit and tayaw bark. Let not the dirt of the past year be carried over to the new year.

The early morning of a Thingyan day greets you with the enchanting scent of the Padauk (Pteorocarpus indicus) flower, a never-failing companion of Thingyan. This golden flower never blooms but bursts, and it does burst full force on auspicious days only. The elderly Myanmar have a sure but strange observation about Nature that the first showers of the Monsoons come after the Padauk has bloomed forth thrice. To a Myanmar, of course, Thingyan, Padauk and goodwill are one at this season.

There is also the sedate aspect of Thingyan's spirit of goodwill. The elderly people would on the three days (sometimes four days* — the Myanmar calendar being lunar and therefore irregular) spend their time fruitfully at a sequestered monastery or pagoda or rest-house (for there are many resthouses donated to the public by the well-to-do), keeping Sabbath, meditating or reading the Law. To them, unlike the younger folk, Thingyan is a period of religious devotion, of prayers for the welfare of all beings — earthly as well as celestial — of offerings and deeds of merit. That is why you will see the people active with enthusiasm, making offerings to the Sangha (the Holy Order) and all that come, whether invited or not, as a typical sight during Thingyan. One