Flowers and Festivals In Myanmar (Burma)

November! Season of Wonder Tree

What is wonder tree?
The wonder tree is a tree which bear many of useful things such as umbrella, rice carrier, books, slippers, soaps, and all other human heart could wish and presented to monastery as Lay men's offering things to Buddhist monks.

What is the purpose of making and offering the wonder tree?
The main purpose of the making wonder tree is specially related to it's story. The story was that long time ago, there is a wonder tree which bear all things that human heart could wish if one like eating a succulent dish of noodles, one just go to the tree and pluck it, If other one want a dress for his important date there he could has his choice from the most exotic creations from the tree. The tree would give just about everything mankind wish for, only to go and pluck. The tree grew at the beginning of the world and later it disappeared. It happened like this, The wonder had a rule and it is that one must not taken more than he could use at one time. The human ,however misuntrusting one another, began to pluck more than they needed and stocked things in their home. When one began other one follow suits. Quarrels and fights followed and the tree were destroyed. Accordingly people make the wonder tree in order to get all their heart could wish in not so hardly like plucking in wonder tree. If on just go to any pagoda and act of Dana (giving charity) or participate in cash contributing the pagoda man sitting on the chair and he receive the donation and striking the bell and intones Prayer for you that "May you have a wonder tree on your door step and may you have occasion hear the word, ' want or no more'”. So that people are create wonder tree with their offering things to monks, as they want to become in their next life.

Ta Zaung Mone Lighting festival.
      The meaning of the name of month is that "Tazaung" means illumination and by oil lamp and " Mone" means to embellish. But the occasion is not refer to significance of Buddhism festivals but refer to all-powerful spirit of pre- Buddhist days. Honoring to all-powerful spirit who ruled planets, including of earth.
But nowadays, people are mainly held for those "2" purpose. Such as to honor to all-powerful spirits in traditionally, and the second purpose to offer the robes to monks. In the days of lent monks are prohibited for visiting to other where, now they are free to go out so that monks can need new robes. That's why men offer their offering things by making "wonder tree" including of robes and other useful things. But this offering must not be offered to one's acquaintance, must be for all clergy.
People holding their created wonder tree and accompanied by traditional music and dance. Charm ladies and girls are holding their small offering with nice suits. It is the great time for the season and the peak of a season. Then the marquee go to their relevant monastery to offer their things.

Robes Weaving Contest (Non-Stale Robes)
The special occasion of the month is that unripe robes. The robes must be woven at 12 mid night and must be finished off before dawn of next day. So that we call that robes as unripe robes and festivals are officially held in some pagodas at Yangon in full moon night of Tazaung Mone (November)

Characters of the Occasion
Visitors can enjoy in the streets of the town which are decorated by lighting box, candles, decorated arches at the corner of the streets, traditional entertainment stages, night stalls, and study about the weaving of "Non Stale Robes" competition.

Popular Event of the Occasion
This is the unforgettable activities as ladies are lighten by moon light and praise by young men with flutes, cymbals, and drums. Next day, the best team and the best weaver are awarded prizes. It is the peak of the festival and visitor should to study Myanmar's unique culture in month of November.

" Please come! to light the candle yourself"

 

Shwezi Gone Pagoda festival

Means of Pagoda's name
It is said that " The pagoda which was stand on sandy bank" and the other name was Zeye Bumi and means that Zaya means Victory and Bhumi means ground, "he pagoda of victory ground"

The respective date of built?
It was built in the time of King Anaw Rhatha, during 1090 AD.

Character of festival
It is not only religious festival, but also it is the social activities of Myanmar people. People can enjoy in pagoda fun fair and people built small building as bamboo stall, to sell their goods in pagoda's compound. So that the sellers lavishly occupy the whole compound, pilgrimages, and observer who want to study about Buddhism and Myanmar's ways of lives.
Visitor can enjoy in the natural scene of Myanmar's festival and going around with horse cart of bullock cart around Bagan and it's famous places.

Popular Event in Ceremony
Myanmar's traditional Orchestra…
Street Stall
Magic show and the Myanmar people who come to pagodas with colorful dress and their bullock cart with fine decoration.

"It is the Famous of Bagan and Glory"

Than Bode Pagoda Festival

Means of Pagoda's Name
It is not Myanmar language but the words of " Pali " and one of the name of Buddhist Prayer verse.

The respected Date of built and builder?
It was built in 1939 and the builder was Revamped Nying Saya Daw.

Character of Festival
The festival is not the same with other festival; It's only held for religious purpose and must not be contained music and other entertainment. The most interesting things are the pagodas itself. It was hardly built on 37 acres wide ground and took the different forms of others pagodas, such as at the entrance of the pagoda guarded by the huge Elephant statue although others pagodas have Lion. Inside of the pagoda, there are over 5 lakhs Buddha statues in various size and shape.

Popular Event in Festival
Praising to the huge alms receiving bowl made by Emerald.
Alms Offering Ceremony
Rice Offering Ceremony and
Preaching Ceremony are available in festival.

The heart of Central Myanmar's People

Pho Win Taung Pagoda Festival

Means Of Pagoda 's name
It was name after U Pho Win ,a famous Zaw Gyi (alchemist)who once lived among them.

The respected date of built and builder
It was very famous for it's interested history, pagoda and its people. The cave themselves contain Buddhist statues, wood curving and mural dating to the 17 and 18 century. Most exhibit the Innwa style, through some may date as far back as the 14th to 16th centuries.

Character OF festival
The festival is held for religious purposes, it is also held for social activities.

Popular Event in Festival
The chief attraction of the festival is Pagoda and nearby it's self. The hill have probably been occupied since the dawn of human habitation in Myanmar. To the south west lines the Pontaung - Ponnyar mountain rang, where the fossilized remained of Pondaung Man , a primitive primate ancestor who may have lived 30 millions years ago were found. There are dozens of large and small caves in the area filled with old Buddhas. There are said to be over 400,000 images in these and other nearby caves.

Fire Balloon festival "or" the great, marvellous

Our valued visitors,
Let me introduce you with our famous annual festival. You just think that it is the hot air balloon festival and it is held in Shan State with the purpose of honoring to Buddha. But to speak strictly, it is not ordinary festival but the colorful amazing festival and it will give you great pleasures and experiences of your festivals exploration and good feeling of your journey emotionally.

Place of the festival
For festivities, Taunggyi is most well known for its hot air balloon competitions held for four days, the second last of which is the full moon of Tazaungmone (November).

Why we celebrate the festival?
We Myanmar held this festival with the purpose of honoring to "Sula Muni" pagoda, which is situated in celestial region.
According to the Jataka tale prince Theidatta renounce the worldly pleasure and accordingly he cut off his hair when arriving to Anaw Mar river bank. Then he throw his hair onto the sky, Tha Gyar Min, (the King of celestial kingdom) , he catch and save the group of hair and enshrine it by building a Stupa, and the pagoda was named as " Sula Muni ".
To honor this "Sula Mini" pagoda, People set fire Balloons in sky above through the state.

The Character of the festival
It is held in Taunggyi, a capital of the southern Shan State. It is said to have been the origin of Pa-o minority.
It is celebrated annually on a grand scale for 6 days before the full moon day of Tazaungmone (November).
These balloons are released day and night, competing over their beauty, lasting hours and the attitude they can gain.
The exact dates of festival vary from year to year according to the Myanmar lunar calendar.

Popular Event in Festival
At daytime, various designs like elephant, horse, buffalo, bird, pig, fish, brahminy bird, owl (or) parrot are created as fire balloon . Nighttime is the time to start fire balloon contest and each group vie for the best display of fire works and rocket shooting. An offshoot of this is "Sein Narban" in which small lantern arranged in various shapes are sent up hanging the balloon. Mainly purpose of rocket shooting is to chase all dangers and black spirit of the town.

Great Event of the summer palace town.

Shin Mer Le Pagoda Festival

Location of Pagoda
Pagoda is situated in Mandalay at the central of Myanmar, just besides of the famous Maha Myat Muni Pagoda.

History of the festival
It was originated in post Buddha life time and now held annually. Shin Mar Le was a great monk who reside in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Legend say that by means of the super natural power he gain through intense concentration of mind he went up to Tavaimsa the celestial kingdom to worship to Sulamani pagoda in which the hairs of prince Siddhartha and the sacred tooth of Buddha were enshrined. There at the pagoda he met a deva (god) who was the future Medeya Buddha.The deva requested Shin Merlei to preach to the people Vessandara Jataka (the story of a the last life of the future Gauttama Buddha) on every full moon day of Tazaung Mone. To commemorate this event, one thousand fruits, one thousand lotus flowers, one thousand fistfuls of swan or cooked rice and one thousand lights of oil lamps placed on a Hlaw Kar boat are offered to Shin Mer Lei. One thousand represent his one thousand Pali poems, and Hlaw Kar boat represent the ferry boat of Dharma (the teaching of the Buddha)to save the sentient beings from the whirl pool of rebirths (Samsara) to the land of Nirvana. the end of sufferings.

Character of the festival
Pilgrimages offer their thousands of lotus flowers by throwing from bottom to top.

Popular Event in Festival
Myanmar traditional Orchestra is the essential of all seasonal festival and the whole area of the pagoda's compound are occupied by lotus flower sellers, Pilgrimages who offer the lotus flowers to pagoda and Myanmar traditional cane ball competition are attracting to all of you and there are in where to sit as people like fun fair and festivals.

Mandalay is the popular place of festivals lover.

Kaung Hmu Daw Pagoda festival

Means of Pagoda's Name
Kaung Mhu Daw is the real Myanmar language and it's means " the great merit".

Location of pagoda
It is situated in Sagaine town ship of Sagaine division. This huge whitewashed pagoda is actually situated 10km beyond the town of Sagaing.

The respected date of Built
It was built in 1645 for the memory of the establishment of Inn WA. It took the form of Maha Zedi in Sri Lanka.

Character of Festival
It is a kind of social activities as well as the religious festival. Staller, Pilgrimages, Myanmar traditional ochestra, Stage show, and Traditional Cane Ball competitions occupy the whole area of the pagoda compound.

Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda Festival

Meaning of the Pagoda's Name
Originally it was called Kyaik-I-thi-yo in Mon Language. It means the pagoda carried by a hermit's head.With the passage of time , it came to be known as Kyaikhtiyo.

Location of the Pagoda
Located at the edge of the Paunglaung Mountain range, part of the eastern Yoma in Kyaikhto Town shop in Mon state.3600ft (1090 m) above sea level.


Events in the Pagoda
There are many famous pagoda festivals in Myanmar. Among them Kyaikthiyo Pagoda Festival is one of the popular festivals and is held in November. This annual pagoda festival is celebrated to which many people from the whole country. During the pagoda festival, people offer (9000) lighting of candles to the pagoda. In the morning, people offer alms food to the pagoda to gain merit.

How can participate the Pagoda festival?
By visiting this pagoda festival, one can not only our traditional custom and culture but also make a short trekking. As well as, one can go around the festival market, buy some local products such as various sizes of guns made of bamboo, mango jam, tomato jam, lemon jam, etc. and study the ways of lives of the local people. I think if you participate our annual pagoda festival, you will have an unforgettable time.

Please, Come and join us visitors!