Festivals
Kayin New Year
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Kayin New Year
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Kayin New Year is a public holiday in Myanmar
The Kayin New Year is celebrated nationwide in Myanmar, but the date of the celebrations varies since its calculation is based on the lunar moon calendar. It is held on the first day of the moon month of Pyatho. It is a celebration by the Kayin communities in the Kayin State of Myanmar.
History of Kayin New Year in Myanmar
The Kayin, or Karen, people count the years from the first day that the first migrant tribe from Mongolia settled in the land of Myanmar, giving birth to the Kayin people. They are the second largest ethnic minority in Myanmar, and they live throughout much of Lower Myanmar. They have never had their own kingdom, and they have always been treated as a subject race. Even so, Kayin people are proud of their heritage and fight to preserve it for future generations.
Myanmar’s Kayin New Year Traditions, Customs and Activities
The Kayin New Year is an important time when the Kayin communities can join and celebrate their unique cultural identity within Myanmar with dance contests and songs while wearing their traditional costumes.
The Kayin New Year celebrations are focused on preservation of Kayin language, culture and literature, Kayin national unity, and development. For the celebrations of the Kayin New Year, young and old Kayins wear their traditional costumes of woven tunics over red longyis and go around the cities to visit friends and relatives to enjoy the festival.
In Hpa An, which is the capital city of the Kayin State, dancing competitions are held every year. All over Myanmar there are other ceremonies to present the Kayin cultural heritage, like the Kayin Done Dance or the Kayin Bamboo Dance. The Kayin national flag is hoisted at dawn, and the ceremony is followed by dancing shows, while steamed sticky rice is served. There are speeches and awards for the best students of the year, while traditional and cultural exhibitions are also held about Kayin people’s history. The celebrations have been known to go on for many days.
