Myanmar New Year begins with traditional Thingyan Water Festival

The regime administrations in Yangon, Mandalay, Bago, Tanintharyi, and Sagaing regions, as well as Naypyidaw, Mon, Karen, and Shan states, hosted “Walking Thingyan” water splashing pedestrian zones to kick off Myanmar’s annual Thingyan festival on Monday.

“The [regime] is spreading propaganda claiming that citizens are enjoying the festivities in order to welcome and promote the military dictatorship,” sources close to the regime administrations told DVB on the condition of anonymity.

A regime-appointed administrator told DVB that civil servants in Naypyidaw, as well as the other eight states and regions, have been ordered by their superiors to join the festivities held during the Thingyan water festival April 13-16.

“Commodity prices are rising and there are concerns of security if we are going outside. Our family decided to stay indoors, making traditional snacks for ourselves and our neighbors,” a resident from Yangon’s Thingangyun Township told DVB on the condition of anonymity.

Regime media reported that newly-appointed regime chief minister for Yangon Region Aung Naing Thu attended the opening ceremony at the Yangon City Maha Thingyan Pavilion in front of Yangon City Hall on April 13.

“Walking Thingyan” water festival pavilions are set up each year at Mahabandoola Park in downtown Yangon, People’s Park near Shwedagon Pagoda, Inya Road in Kamaryut Township, and other areas of the city.

The Myanmar communities in the U.S., Australia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand celebrated Thingyan over the weekend before it officially began on April 13.

Nearly 30,000 people joined Myanmar’s biggest cultural event in Japan as a Thingyan Water Festival was held at Kiba Park in Tokyo April 11-12.

The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement on April 12 to welcome the Burmese New Year, adding that the U.S. “remains committed to supporting efforts to end the crisis” in reference to the civil war in Myanmar that began after the 2021 coup.

Rubio expressed his hope for peace to be achieved in Myanmar.

“[This] indicates that the U.S. will continue to support Myanmar politically,” James Shwe, a democracy activist from Myanmar living in the U.S., told DVB.

The embassies of Canada, the U.K. and the E.U. also released statements to commemorate the Thingyan Water Festival and Burmese New Year, condemning the violence against civilians in Myanmar, as well as the ongoing detention of political prisoners.

The three countries expressed solidarity and hope for the Myanmar people in the new year.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stated that the Thingyan Water Festival serves as a time for forgiveness and rebirth, purging old habits, and starting over in the new year.

The embassies of Norway, Thailand and China also released similar statements on April 13.

It’s been over six years since the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the Thingyan Water Festival in 2020. This was followed by the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, which cancelled the festival again. Since then it was slowly growing back to its pre-COVID numbers of festivalgoers.

This is until a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on March 28, 2025 impacted Thingyan for 424,063 citizens, and cancelled the water festival for 279,111 who were temporarily displaced from their homes in the six hardest-hit regions.

Around 4,477 people were killed and 11,366 were injured during the quake, according to DVB data.

The Thingyan Water Festival marks the traditional New Year every April, usually April 13-16. Thingyan takes place over four days: A Kyo Nei, or the opening day, A Kya Nei, or the decent day, A Kyat Nei, or the traditional day, and A Tat Nei, or the ascending day.

Beyond water splashing to wash away misdeeds, Thingyan includes acts of merit to family, Buddhist monks, and others. Thingyan was officially recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on Dec. 5, 2024.