We were lucky enough to be in Myanmar just in time. Locals insisted Yangon was the place to be. So, a few days before the madness kicked off, we headed to the capital \u00e2\u20ac\u201d because once Thingyan starts, public transport basically stops.<\/p>\n
At the time, I thought: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A water festival? Sounds cute.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> It began in the taxi. The driver had wrapped his entire car \u00e2\u20ac\u201d seats, dashboard, the whole deal \u00e2\u20ac\u201d in plastic.<\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I turned to ask him, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why is your car completely covered in pla\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n SPLASH!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n A gleeful guy by the side of the road had just hurled a full bucket of ice water through the open window, over my head. I sat, stunned and dripping, as the taxi driver howled with laughter.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Happy happy?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he asked, eyes twinkling. And just like that, we were in it.<\/p>\n So, what exactly is Thingyan?<\/strong> You cannot walk one block dry. Not possible. Water is everywhere<\/em>. And while the main square with its traditional dance shows and hose stations is lovely, the real party \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the pure, pulsing heart of Thingyan \u00e2\u20ac\u201d is Kandawgyi Lake<\/strong>.<\/p>\n That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where Yangon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s youth gathers. It’s loud, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wild, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a full-on music festival meets water park. Temporary \u00e2\u20ac\u0153spraying stations\u00e2\u20ac\u009d line the streets, doubling as dance stages. Pop and electro music blast from the speakers while people \u00e2\u20ac\u201d soaked to the bone \u00e2\u20ac\u201d sing, dance, and drench strangers with wild abandon.<\/p>\n Everywhere you turn, people are smiling, dancing, and asking, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Happy happy?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s carrying a bucket, bottle, bowl, or hose. Fire hoses, even. At one point I got sprayed with what I swear<\/em> was a power washer. When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not standing under what I would describe as the world’s largest shower, someone empties their container over you and simultaneously wishes you a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHappy New Year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/span><\/p>\n But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s for a good cause: the<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0festival is held to wash away evil deeds, bad luck and sins from the past year before entering the new.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0Many of the adolescents take advantage of the more or less \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcfree pass\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 to commit some last minute “sins”. Drinking in public, walking hand in hand with their crushes, dressing and dancing provocatively\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/span><\/p>\n Black Culture<\/em>, organiser of one of the spraying stations, invited us to party on their dance floor. The DJ played some good beats and we mingled with the teenagers, hosing down passers-by. It reminded me of the City Parade of Brussels, plus shower.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The enthusiasm, excitement and happiness of the people were mind blowing. But then again, not really… This is the only time a year where the Burmese government permits crowds to gather in public areas. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the only time where colour, rank and status have little or no significance.<\/strong> Everyone is included; kids, grand-parents, business men in suits, tourists, bus drivers\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/span><\/p>\n The Burmese usually come across as soft-spoken, shy people, however, during Thingyan, they change into an outgoing crowd. Seeing this metamorphosis -maybe partly due to their alcohol consumption- is one of the things I enjoyed most about the water festival.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The festival lasts 3 to 5 days and the parties are mainly during day light. After sunset the participants return home and get a good night’s rest to resume the festivities the following day.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n TIPS to enjoy Thingyan to the fullest<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Go all in<\/strong>. Dance, play, shout \u00e2\u20ac\u0153happy happy!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d until your voice cracks. Go just as nuts as they do! Those wanting to take a break from the madness or wish to take it easy, there are funfairs and (wet) food stands around the premises.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Waterproof your tech<\/strong>. Your camera, phone, and dignity are all at risk. Prioritize wisely.<\/p>\n Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t trust enclosed spaces<\/strong>. Even inside a train or bus, someone will<\/em> find a way to hose you.<\/p>\n Plan ahead<\/strong>. Transport grinds to a halt during the festival, so get where you need to be before<\/em> the first splash.<\/p>\n Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t resist it.<\/strong> Resistance is not only futile \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also kind of rude. The whole point is to let go, get drenched, and start fresh.<\/p>\n Thingyan is absolute, beautiful mayhem. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the most joyful, unifying experiences I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever had \u00e2\u20ac\u201d a giant, soaking-wet game awakening your inner child.<\/p>\n Happy happy!<\/em><\/p>\n Celebrate Thingyan in 2014 from Sunday April 13th to Wednesday April 16th<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0The post Thingyan, Water Festival in Myanmar<\/a> first appeared on TravelCake.net<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Who doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t love a smashing New Year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s party? Now imagine that bash lasting for days, taking place outdoors under a blazing sun, and involving obscene amounts of water. Welcome to Thingyan \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Myanmar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s water festival, held around mid-April to ring in the Burmese New Year. It’s the country\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s biggest and most important holiday, and it’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,74,124],"tags":[5,12,67,56,20],"country":[246],"class_list":["post-1234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-destinations","category-culture-and-festivals","category-myanmar","tag-asia","tag-experiences","tag-festivals","tag-myanmar","tag-off-the-beaten-track","post_format-post-format-image","country-myanmar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1234"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1234\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4520,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1234\/revisions\/4520"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1234"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=1234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
I was so wrong.<\/p>\n![\"stupidly](\"https:\/\/travelcake.site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/stupid2.jpg\")
<\/a>
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yeah\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 happy,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I sputtered.<\/p>\n<\/a>
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a multi-day water fight with soul. People splash water on each other to wash away sins, bad luck, and evil deeds from the past year. The symbolism is beautiful \u00e2\u20ac\u201d but in practice, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s complete, joyous chaos.<\/p>\n
You grin back: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Happy happy!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
\nIf you stay on the sidelines, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll miss the magic. Get in there, allow people to talk to you.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Have you heard of Thingyan? Would you enjoy such a festival?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n