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38-767: Thingyan is comparable to other festivities in the region such as the Songkran in Laos, the Songkran in Thailand, the Cambodian New Year , the Sinhalese New Year and the festivals like Vaisakhi ( Punjab ), Puthandu ( Tamil Nadu ), Vishu ( Kerala ) and Bihu ( Assam ) in India . The name "Thingyan" ( Burmese : သင်္ကြန် , pronounced [θɪ́ɰ̃dʑàɰ̃] ; Arakanese : [θɔ́ɰ̃kràɰ̃] )

76-408: A golden book but if they have been naughty their names will go into a dog book. Serious water throwing does not begin until a-kya nei in most of the country although there are exceptions to the rule. Traditionally, Thingyan involved the sprinkling of scented water in a silver bowl using sprigs of thabyay ( Jambul ), a practice that continues to be prevalent in rural areas. The sprinkling of water

114-811: A drive-by splash with this would be taken humorously. Pwè (performances) by puppeteers, orchestras, yein dance troupes, comedians, film stars and singers including modern pop groups are commonplace during this festival. During the Water Festival, the Myanmar government relaxed restrictions on gatherings. In the former capital, Yangon, the government permits crowds to gather on the Kandawgyi Pat Lann and Kabaraye Roads. Temporary water-spraying stations, known as pandals, are set up and double as dance floors. Many of these pavilions are sponsored by rich and powerful families and businesses The third day

152-518: A hair-washing ceremony with clear pristine water from Gaungsay Kyun (lit. Head Washing Island), a small rocky outcrop of an island in the Gulf of Martaban near Mawlamyine . Nightfall brings music, song and dance, and merrymaking in anticipation of the water festival. In neighbourhoods, pavilions with festive names constructed from bamboo, wood and beautifully decorated papier mache, are assembled overnight. Local girls rehearse for weeks and even years, in

190-401: A time-honoured tradition is mont lone yay baw ( မုန့်လုံးရေပေါ် ), glutinous rice balls with jaggery ( palm sugar ) inside thrown into boiling water in a huge wok and served as soon as they resurface which gave it the name. Young men and women help in making it and all are welcome, some have put a birdseye chilli inside instead of jaggery as a trick. Mont let saung ( မုန့်လက်ဆောင်း )

228-733: A year each. The new year henceforth has come to signify the changing of hands of the Brahma's head. Although there's no evidence of when the Thingyan Festival was started, many historians said that it was established during the Tagaung Kingdom , also known as the Pyu Era , but once the Bagan Kingdom was established, Thingyan becomes one of the most famous festivals in Myanmar. The earliest stone inscription about Thingyan

266-432: Is a panicle , cyme, or small raceme of flowers growing at the ends of branches or in the leaf axils; some flowers are solitary. The fragrant flowers have 4 or 5 sepals and white petals and up to 10 straight stamens . The fruit is a fleshy berry with pulp but without the juice vesicles present in some related fruits. It is up to 1.3 centimetres (0.51 in) long and orange, red, or black. The genus Murraya

304-733: Is a popular English name for a traditional celebration known in Laos as "Pi Mai" or "Songkan" (in Lao language). Lao New Year is widely celebrated festival in Laos. The festival is also celebrated by the Lao in Australia , Canada , France , the UK and the US. Lao New Year takes place in April, the hottest time of the year in Laos, which is also the start of the monsoon season. Lao New Year takes place at virtually

342-592: Is also a common time for shinbyu , novitiation ceremonies for boys in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism when they will join the monks ( Sangha ) and spend a short time in a monastery immersed in the teachings of the Buddha, the Dhamma . It is akin to rites of passage or coming of age ceremonies in other religions. On New Year's Day, people offer food donations called satuditha ( စတုဒိသာ ) at various places. They typically provide free food to those participating in

380-416: Is another Thingyan snack, made of bits of sticky rice with toasted sesame in jaggery syrup and coconut milk. They are both served with grated coconut. In major cities such as Yangon and Mandalay , Rakhine Thingyan can also be experienced as Rakhine residents of the city celebrate in their own tradition. Water is scooped from a long boat ( လောင်းလှေ , laung hlei ) to throw at revellers and Rakhine Mont di

418-697: Is derived from the Sanskrit word saṁkrānti , which means the "transit [of the Sun from Pisces to Aries].". The holiday is known as Sangkran ( listen ) in Mon and as Sangkyan in Shan ( Shan : သၢင်းၵျၢၼ်ႇ ). The story about Thingyan is a Buddhist version of Hindu mythology. The King of Brahmas called Arsi ( အာသီ ), lost a wager to the King of Devas, Śakra ( သိကြားမင်း ), who decapitated Arsi as agreed. Still,

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456-478: Is found at [Kyaut Kuumin] pagoda which dates back to 11 AD. The eve of Thingyan, the first day of the festival is called Pre-day (in Myanmar, အကြိုနေ့ ), and is the start of a variety of religious activities. Buddhists are expected to observe the Eight Precepts , more than the basic Five Precepts , including having only one meal before noon. Thingyan is a time when uposatha observance days, similar to

494-399: Is known as a-kyat nei ( အကြတ်နေ့ ) and there may be two of them, as an extra day is added in certain years. The fourth day is known as a-tet nei ( အတက်နေ့ ) when Thagya Min returns to the heavens, the last day of the water festival. Some would throw water at people late into the day making an excuse such as "Thagya Min left his pipe and has come back for it"! Over the long festive holiday,

532-405: Is known for its Nangsangkhan pageant. There are seven contestants, each one symbolizing one of King Kabinlaphrôm's seven daughters. During Lao New Year, there are many spectacles including traditional Lao music and social dancing, molam , and lamvông, which translates to 'circle dancing' . During the daytime many people go to the temple to worship, hoping to have a healthier and happier life in

570-420: Is made into stupas or mounds, then decorated before being given to the monks as a way of making merit. There are two ways to make the sand stupas. One way is to go to the beach, and the other way is to bring sand to the vat , or temple . Sand stupas are decorated with flags, flowers, white lines, and splashed with perfumed water. Sand stupas symbolize the mountain, Phoukhao Kailat, where King Kabinlaphrôm's head

608-400: Is perfumed with flowers or natural perfumes. Some people prefer flowers in the water to give a pleasing smell, as well as adding other things, like cologne and perfume. Over the years another tradition has developed with Lao New Year: people will smear or throw cream (shaving cream or whipped cream) or white powder on each other during the celebrations. Sand is brought to the temple grounds and

646-459: Is popularly known as the "Thingyan flower". Large crowds of revellers, on foot, on bicycles and motorbikes, and in trucks, will do the rounds of all the mandat , some making their own music and most of the women wearing thanaka and padauk. Floats, decorated and lit up, also with festive names and carrying an orchestra as well as dozens of young men on each of them, will roam the streets stopping at every mandat exchanging songs specially written for

684-424: Is served. The following is New Year's Day ( နှစ်ဆန်းတစ်ရက်နေ့ , hnit hsan ta yet nei ). At this time Burmese visit elders and pay obeisance by gadaw (also called shihko ) with a traditional offering of water in a terracotta pot and shampoo. Young people perform hairwashing for the elderly often in the traditional manner with shampoo beans ( Acacia rugata ) and bark. New year's resolutions are made, generally in

722-609: Is welcomed by most. All able-bodied individuals are included in this game, except for monks. Some overenthusiastic young lads may get captured by women, who often are their main target, and become kids of a practical joke with soot from cooking pots smeared on their faces. Maidens from mandat's with dozens of garden hoses exchange hundreds of gallons of water with throngs of revellers and one floats after another. Many revellers carry towels to block water from getting into their ears and for modesty as they get thoroughly soaked in their light summer clothes. The odd prankster might use ice water and

760-583: Is when Thingyan fully arrives as Thagyamin makes his descent from his celestial abode to Earth. At a given signal, a cannon (Thingyan a-hmyauk ) is fired and people come out with pots of water and sprigs of thabyay , then pour the water onto the ground with a prayer. A prophecy for the new year ( သင်္ကြန်စာ , Thingyan sa ) will have been announced by the brahmins ( ponna ) and this is based on what animal Thagya Min will be riding on his way down and what he might carry in his hand. Children are told that if they have been good Thagya Min will take their names down in

798-754: The citrus family, Rutaceae . It is distributed in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. The center of diversity is in southern China and Southeast Asia . When broadly circumscribed , the genus has about 17 species. A narrower circumscription contains only eight species, others being placed in Bergera and Merrillia . Plants in the genus Murraya are shrubs or trees with pinnate leaves arranged alternately, usually glandular, aromatic, and leathery to membranous in texture. The leaflets vary in shape and have smooth or toothed edges. The inflorescence

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836-522: The wat to wash. People who didn't participate in the flower picking bring baskets to wash the flowers so the flowers can shine with the Buddha statues. In the evening lao people usually go to the temple to worship the Buddhas. There is an annual beauty pageant in Luang Prabang to crown Miss Pi Mai Lao (Miss Lao New Year). There are many beauty pageants in Laos, but the old capital Luang Prabang

874-536: The Christian sabbath, are held. Alms and offerings are laid before monks in their monasteries and offerings of a green coconut with its stalk intact encircled by bunches of green bananas ( ငှက်ပျောပွဲ အုန်းပွဲ , nga pyaw pwè oun pwè ) and sprigs of thabyay ( Syzygium cumini ) before the Buddha images over which scented water is poured in a ceremonial washing from the head down. In ancient times, Burmese kings had

912-483: The New Year's celebrations. Many Burmese wash their heads with Tayaw, kinpun on Burmese New Year's Day so as to leave behind all the impurities and bad omens from the past. Songkran (Lao) Lao New Year , called Pi Mai ( Lao : ປີໃໝ່ , [pìː māj] ) or less commonly Songkan ( Lao : ສົງການ , [sǒŋ.kàːn] ), is celebrated every year from 13 or 14 April to 15 or 16 April. Lao New Year

950-586: The festival including Thingyan classics, and performing than gyat (similar to rapping but one man leads and the rest bellows at the top of their voices making fun of and criticising whatever is wrong in the country today such as fashion, consumerism, runaway inflation, crime, drugs, AIDS, corruption, inept politicians etc.). Accidents and incidents from drunk or reckless driving in crowded streets, as well as drunkenness, arguments and brawling are problems that typically occur. Generally, however friendliness and goodwill prevail. The next day called a-kya nei ( အကျနေ့ )

988-675: The first day. Perfume, water and flowers are also prepared for the Lao New Year. The second day of the festival is the "day of no year", a day that falls in neither the old year or the new year. The last day of the festival marks the start of the new year. In Laos, Lao New Year is a government holiday, with state offices closed during those three days. Water is used for washing homes, Buddha images, monks, and soaking friends and passers-by. Students first respectfully pour water on their elders, then monks for blessings of long life and peace, and last of all they splash water at each other. The water

1026-407: The head of an elephant was put onto the Brahma's body which then became Ganesha . The Brahma was so powerful that if the head were thrown into the sea it would dry up immediately. If it were thrown onto land it would be scorched. If it were thrown up into the air the sky would burst into flames. Sakra, therefore, ordained that the Brahma's head be carried by one goddess after another taking turns for

1064-449: The mending of ways and doing meritorious deeds for their karma . Releasing fish ( ငါးလွှတ်ပွဲ , nga hlut pwè ) is another time-honoured tradition on this day; fish are rescued from lakes and rivers that are drying up, then the fish are kept in huge glazed earthen pots and jars before being released into larger lakes and rivers with a prayer and a wish saying "I release you once, you release me ten times". Thingyan ( အခါတွင်း , a-hka dwin )

1102-422: The new year. During the evening, people of all ages go to the temple for entertainment. In greetings there are several ways to wish someone a happy Lao New Year. The most common expressions are sôk di pi mai , souksan van pi mai or sabaidi pi mai , which can be translated into English as "Happy New Year". Murraya See text Murraya ( / ˈ m ʌr i ə / ) is a genus of flowering plants in

1140-461: The plants used to treat fever , pain, and dysentery . M. paniculata has been used to induce labor . It has been used in Cuba for painful inflammatory conditions. In Myanmar , Murraya species are used to make thanaka , a cosmetic paste that is typically applied onto the face. Compounds isolated from Murraya include many types of coumarins and alkaloids . The novel alkaloid yuehchukene

1178-466: The run-up to the great event in song and dance in chorus lines. Each band of girls are uniformly dressed in colourful tops and skirts and wears garlands of flowers and tinsel. They wear fragrant thanaka - a paste of the ground bark of Murraya paniculata which acts as both sunblock and astringent - on their faces, and sweet-scented yellow padauk ( Pterocarpus macrocarpus ) blossoms in their hair. Padauk blooms only one day each year during Thingyan and

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1216-490: The same time as the new year celebrations of many countries in South Asia such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, China (Dai People of Yunnan Province), India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. The official festival lasts for three days from 14 to 16 April, although celebrations can last more than a week in towns such as Luang Prabang . The first day is the last day of the old year. Houses and villages are properly cleaned on

1254-613: Was first formally described in 1771 by Carl Linnaeus in Mantissa Plantarum Altera from an unpublished description by Johann Gerhard König . The genus name commemorates the 18th-century German-Swedish herbal doctor Johan Andreas Murray , a student of Linnaeus . In 1986, Paul P.-H. But and co-authors separated off some species of Murraya as M. sect. Bergera based on chemical evidence. Evidence from pollen morphology and multiple molecular phylogenetic studies showed that when broadly circumscribed , Murraya

1292-421: Was found in M. paniculata , and it has since been isolated from other Murraya . It is found in red-fruited species with larger petals, but not in black-fruited species with smaller petals. Some species also contain the carbazole girinimbine. In July 2021, 14-year old Zaila Avant-garde of Harvey, Louisiana , won the final of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word "Murraya", and

1330-412: Was intended to metaphorically "wash away" one's sins of the previous year. In major cities such as Yangon , garden hoses, huge syringes made of bamboo, brass or plastic, water pistols and other devices from which water can be squirted are used in addition to the gentler bowls and cups. Water balloons and even fire hoses have been employed. It is the hottest time of the year in the country and a good dousing

1368-452: Was kept by his seven daughters. Another way to make merit at this time is to set animals free. The Lao believe that animals need to be free. The most commonly freed animals are tortoises, fish, crabs, birds, eels and other small animals. Flowers are gathered to decorate Buddha images. In the afternoons people collect fresh flowers. Senior monks take the younger monks to a garden filled with flowers, where they pick flowers and bring back to

1406-443: Was not monophyletic , and treating M. sect. Bergera as the separate genus Bergera has widespread support. Murraya is in the subfamily Aurantioideae , which also includes the genus Citrus . It is in the tribe Clauseneae. Studies have repeatedly shown that two sections into which Murraya has been divided, M. sect. Murraya and M. sect. Bergera , should be treated as separate genera. Murraya sensu stricto

1444-643: Was revised in 2021, with eight species being accepted: Species that have been placed in Murraya sect. Bergera belong in Bergera , although as of September 2021 , names for many have not been published. Further species still accepted in Murraya by Plants of the World Online are: Murraya species are used in landscaping . Some species can be grafted onto citrus rootstocks . Species have been used in traditional medicine , with various parts of

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