Festivals are a regular matter in Myanmar and they are very much enjoyed both by the locals and also foreign tourists. Generally, a country fair type atmosphere exists in these celebrations, and people throng the fair grounds to visit the stalls, listen to music and enjoy the boxing bouts. Let us now have a look at the calendar of events in Myanmar beginning from January:

January: 4th January is the Independence Day of Myanmar and the week is followed by a gala of celebrations that include a seven-day fair in Yangon.

April: Thingyan Water Festival . This festival marks the celebration of Myanmar New Year. During this festival, people celebrate splashing each other with water. The idea is that all the sins you have committed last year gets washed off and you are being made fresh to begin new year with a clean soul. Everybody gets drenched with lots of fun and merriment. Elderly people visit the temples offering prayer and giving alms to the poor.

May: The Kason Festival . This festival is held on the day Buddha was born and attained Enlightenment and the day he passed away. It happens on the full moon day of Kason in the Myanmar calendar, in early May. People go to the pagodas to water the sacred Bo Trees. These are famous, because Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment under these trees.

July: The Waso Festival . This festival is held to commemorate Buddha's first sermon and the beginning of Buddhist Lent. Since this festival is centered round Buddha.s sermon, people donate new robes and other necessary items to the monks so that they can keep them tied for several months.

October: This is known as the month of festivals as maximum number of festival are held during this month. These are:

a) Thadingyut Festival (Festival of Lights) . This festival marks the end of Buddhist Lent. It is held on the full moon day of Thadingyut, and continues for three days. Houses and streets are decorated with festive lights and the entire nation gets illuminated. Burmese people go to the local pagodas, offering alms to the poor. Younger people visit the house of elders to pay homage to their seniors- it may be parents, elders and teachers.

b) Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda Festival, Inle Lake . In this festival, Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda's Buddha images are taken from one village to another along the lake so that the people can pay homage.

Many events are organized during this festival. It includes fairs, dances, the leg rowers' boat races, etc. This is the biggest festival in the Shan state.

c) Elephant Dance Festival . This festival is very peculiar in its own way. It is enacted in many towns and villages, big or small. But the most attractive one is held in the town Kyauk-se, 40km south of Mandalay. Two men go inside two full size paper elephants, one black, one white, and dance through the town with much fanfare and merriment.

November: Tazaungdaing Festival . As per the Myanmar calendar, this festival is held on the full moon day of Tazaungmon. During this festival, all the houses and public

buildings of Myanmar are well decorated and brightly lit. Mathothigan , a special type of robe woven on a single day is offered to monks, who in turn offer it to Buddha later on.