Soon it will be Thingyan again. Most foreigners know Thingyan as the time when it is very hot and dusty and every person on the street is greeted with a bucket of water over his head or ambushed by jets of water from hoses. Actually Thingyan is the Myanmar New Year and celebrated all over the country. It is also the time for April showers to make the Padauk bloom and perfume the air with their delicate scent. Padauk blossoms are especially valued as they bloom only when Thingyan is near and their beauty can be appreciated for only one day before they wither.

This year Thingyan will be celebrated from 13 to 16 April. According to popular belief Thagya-min (King of the Celestial Beings) will arrive at the abode of humans for the duration on April 14 at a time determined by the astrologers. Every household will have a small pot with some Eugenia leaves and flowers set out to welcome him. This flower pot is left there until he returns to his abode at the end of Thingyan on April 16.

The Bamar people have their own version of celebrations while the Gon Shans of Kyainge Tong (Keng Tung) in Eastern Shan State has their own rituals, while the Rakhine people on the western seaboard celebrate Thingyan their own way. But whatever the diversity the essence is the same: it is to say farewell to the old and welcome in the new . All have good fun during this period.

We can say that this Thingyan celebrations has a long history. A legend tells us that King Narathihapati of the Bagan Dynasty teased one of his lesser queens, Saw Lon, by drenching her with a bucketful of water at the Thingyan festivities which she took as an act to humiliate her in front of the other ladies. This led to the young queen conspiring to kill the King which in turn led to her death. But this was just one sad instance and mostly Thingyan is a joyful occasion.

Bamar people observe Thingyan in a variety of ways. For the young, this is the time of fun, to go around splashing water on every passerby or drive around town to visit the water throwing pandals. Although every town and village in Myanmar celebrate Thingyan, Mandalay is the most fashionable place to be at Thingyan. Private and governmental pandals are put up around the Mandalay Moat . During the day revelers are entertained with snacks, dances and songs. Ceremoniously the guests are sprinkled with fragrant water using twigs of Eugenia but later they are drenched with water from firehoses! Many screen and music stars travel up to Mandalay as guest entertainers at these pandals which are packed with spectators trying to get a glimpse of their idols. Evenings are the best time to watch the entertainment which start in the evenings and continue past midnight .Best of all, no water throwing is allowed after dark. Decorated floats tour these pandals and compete for the best decorated, the best performance or any other prizes offered by the pandals. In turn the dance troupes at these pandals warmly welcome these floats with group dances and songs. However, the older generation will go to pagodas and monasteries and observe the Sabbath to gain merit during this auspicious time.

"Be extra good!" small children are warned at this time of the year as Thagya-min is in town and he is making two different lists: one on gold sheets for the good and another on dog leather for the naughty. Even adolescents take extra care to be good during this time as nobody wants to have his name on the dog parchment anyhow!

Gon Shans observe the Thingyan their own way. The celebrations start every year on a fixed date of the second week of April. Sand pagodas and a mud image of a frog are constructed on the bank of the stream. Then the image of Thagya Min riding on the predicted animal for the given year is made with papier mache. By tradition Tai-Loi people from Mong Yang district beat a ceremonial drum continuously for 24 hours. The next day a representative of the Zar family riding a horse and dressed as Thagya Min leads the procession to the ceremonial site by the stream. The ceremony ends with offerings made to the pagodas and "symbolic marriage" of the Frog princess with Thagya Min statue.

Along the way people throw water on each other and enjoy the water festival. On the way back monks wait under the Bodhi tree ( ficus spp) at the centre of the town to bless the revellers with holy water to ensure happiness and prosperity in the coming year.

Our Rakhine cousins also observe the Thingyan. Pandals are erected in front of the houses or at some vantage sites. The girls stand behind long rowboats which are filled with water. The boys take their place on the opposite side and they splash each other with water from the boat. This friendly contest will continue until one side concedes defeat.

The Mon people celebrates Thingyan as the others do. However, at a village called Yogo, near Mudon in the Mon State, Thingyan by tradition is extended one extra day. The Yogo Pagoda celebrates its annual feast on the 1st day of the New Year and here all visitors are splashed with water even when Thingyan had officially ended all over the country.

But apart from the festivities Thingyan is also a time of deep religious significance for all Buddhists. Pagodas and monasteries are crowded with the pious observing the Sabbath. As all Myanmar Buddhists boys must enter the monkhood temporarily at least once in his lifetime, most parents hold novitiation ceremonies to initiate their sons into the monkhood at this time, if the boys can be persuaded to give up the water festival..

At homes the Buddha Images are taken out from their shrines and cleaned with perfumed water. Young people pay their respects to their parents and elders by washing the heads with shwe ye, ngwe ye ( water in which gold-rings and other precious stones have been immersed) or trim the nails of the elderly to gain merit. One other deed that is worth mentioning is the "Ziwita Dana" translated as giving back life. On the first day of the New Year cows and goats are bought back from the slaughter houses and set free at various sanctuaries dotted all over the country; live fish are released back into ponds and rivers and captive birds are let out from their cages to fly free again.

The unique fact of Myanmar Thingyan is that unlike the Christian concept of the New Year beginning at midnight on December 31, the Myanmar New Year officially begins at a pre-determined time as calculated by the astrologers. It might be early morning or noon. The exact time is determined by the astrologers using their complex methods of calculations. Whatever time the New Year begins Thingyan for the Myanmar people is not only a joyous occasion but also enshrines a deep and solemn religious meaning. And when Padauk blossoms bloom we know that Thingyan will be here again soon.