Top 16 Traditional Festivals in Myanmar That You Cannot Miss

Here is more detail about the top 16 most important festivals in Myanmar so that you can set your travel plan around the date.

The most famous festival in Myanmar, the Thingyan Water Festival is held in celebration of the Myanmar New Year. This festival is similar to the famous Songkran Festival in Thailand wherein people throw or splash water at one another during the four-day festival. The festival happens all across the Yangon region, but Mandalay has the bragging rights for being the most crowded city to celebrate the Myanmar New Year. Usually, the festival lasts four days but on a leap year, it lasts five days. On the Burmese New Year day, Myanmar people also do good deeds by offering meals and snacks, taking Sabbath, or cutting nails for their elders.

• Where: Nationwide
• When: 13th – 16th April 2021

Here is everything about Thingyan Festival

Whilst in Yangon, enjoy the Thadingyut Light Festival, a celebration of the Buddha’s descent from the heavens after he had preached the Abhidhamma to his mother, Maya. Buildings and houses across the country are festooned in coloured lights and candles to welcome him back to earth. The streets are thronged with people browsing the markets and food stalls which spring up during this time and traditional open air plays and concerts take place everywhere. As it signifies the end of Buddhist Lent, there is an abundance of music and dancing.

• Where: Nationwide
• When: 31 October 2020

Here is everything about Thadingyut Light Festival

This famous festival in Myanmar is a joint festivity of the new year, battle victories, the tribes’ reunion, and the tradition. Manaw poles are erected and men & women dance around it. This festival is one of the most delightful and popular festivals of Myanmar. If you visit Myanmar in January, then do attend this festival.

• Where: Myitkyina and Putao in Kachin, Myanmar
• When: 9th – 10th January, 2020

Here is more detail about Kachin Manaw Festival

The Taunggyi Balloon Festival is a part of Tazaungdaing Festival, which is celebrated every year after the rainy season. Candle lit paper balloons cover the skies. These are believed to drive away all the evil spirits and invite positivity and happiness to the lands. The festival is cited as one of the most beautiful sights at night in Myanmar. Plan ahead your trip during the fall to the land of the Pagodas. Just being a part of this festival is one of the top things to do in Myanmar.

• Where: Nationwide
• When: 23rd – 29th Nov 2020

Here is more detail about Taunggyi Balloon Festival

Another one of the Myanmar festivals 2020 that you can’t miss out on your vacation is Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival. Celebrated at the Inle Lake, this festival is dedicated to Lord Buddha. A parade of the pictures of Lord Buddha from the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda is organized in the lake and the boats are decorated. The boat is stopped at every village so that the locals can take a look at the parade and pay homage. Traditional dances and boat races are also organized and are the best part of this festival.

• Where: Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda
• When: 17th October 2020

Although the majority of Burmese people believe in Buddhism, there is still a significant population that believes in Nats. Nats are said to be terrestrial spirits that influence human activity. Taungbyone Nat Festival is held in celebration of these spirits and is usually held around July and August. You will see people drinking and dancing during this lively festival. Nat believers offer beer, fried chicken, and money to the Nat Gadaws, who are like shamans that embody the spirits and act as their vessel. Nat Gadaws perform and dance in different costumes depending on the spirit they embody.

• Where: Taungbyone
• When: 26th Aug – 2nd Sep 2020

Kyaukse is located just about 44km away from Mandalay, and every year around October, people from upper Myanmar usually come to Kyaukse during the festival to enjoy the elephant dance. There are usually two people who enter inside the paper-elephant to dance. These dancers must completely be in sync when it comes to rhythm and timing for the dance to be successful. This festival is held to pay homage to the Shwe Tha Lyaung Pagoda in Kyaukse.

• Where: Kyaukse near Mandalay
• When: 30th Oct – 1st Nov 2020

Here is everything about Kyaukse Elephant Dance Festival

Usually held in April, this festival is the most popular among Rakhine people. During this festival, you can watch Rakhine traditional dances, boxing matches, and boat rowing competitions. It’s also an opportunity to learn more about the ancient temples and pagodas of the old Mrauk U Dynasty. Although the transportation access to the Mrauk U town is currently difficult (you either take a 20-hour bus ride or take a flight to Sittwe airport and rent a private car for a three-hour drive), witnessing the amazing physical activities of the Shittaung Pagoda Festival makes it worth the travel.

• Where: Mrauk U town, Myanmar
• When: 15-18 May 2020

The festival has been and will be one of the most widely celebrated ones of all the Myanmar festivals 2020. You can witness the Buddhist rituals and ceremonies of social gathering and also the pomp of Buddhism. It is also the best occasion to enjoy the local food at its best too. So, be a part of the festivals of Myanmar to know of their culture and relish the local cuisines.

• Where: Ananda Pagoda, Bagan, Mandalay Division
• When: 4th – 9th January 2020

Naga New Year is one of the most famous festivals in Myanmar and the people of Kham-Ti village celebrate it in a grand way. The opening ceremony of this festival will be held on 13th January 2020 and you can attend the festival in the village. Competitions and traditional sports are organized and the Naga subtribes come together and celebrate the New Year. Colorful costumes, grilled meat and rice, wine and ancient tribal dances are the main highlights of this festival.

• Where: Kham-Ti village
• When: 13th – 15th January 2020

Here is everything about Naga New Year Festival

There are a lot of festivals held at different pagodas but one of the most famous festivals in Myanmar is the Golden Hilltop festival. Held at the Kyaik Khauk Pagoda, Golden Hilltop Festival is a fair kind of setup where you can buy local produce, pottery items, ceramics, furniture, and bamboo mats. In the evening stage shows are organized and the locals from the surrounding villages attend this festival.

• Where: Kyaik Khauk Pagoda
• When: 3rd – 9th February 2020

Kason festival is celebrated to announce the auspicious birth of Buddha. You can join in the processions followed by the locals and pour water on the sacred Bodhi tree or take river cruises around for watching the festivity and celebration. You can also pour scented water in the pagoda. This is one of the most exciting festivals of Myanmar.

• Where: Nationwide
• When: 29 April 2020

This festival is a tribute to an ancient royal sports game. The game is quite similar to football, only the players aim in not letting the ball touch the ground. The locals take huge joy and pride in the was game. This festival is among the most unique Myanmar festivals 2020, so make sure you do put this one on your list. Enjoy the ancient customs of the place!

• Where: Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay
• When: 03 August 2020

It is a popular belief that Lord Buddha gained enlightenment while resting under a Bodhi tree. To mark that auspicious event, the Bodhi Tree Watering Festival is celebrated. It is one of the few Myanmar festivals that takes place in temples and pagodas throughout the country. The monks and devotees of Lord Buddha water the highly sacred and precious tree as part of a merit-making ritual. To complete their offering, they make several rounds around religious sites to water.

• Where: Pagodas and temples throughout Myanmar
• When: On the occasion of full moon in May

This is one of those festivals in Myanmar dedicated solely to Lord Buddha. As a major Buddhist country, spiritual life is very important in the country. When the monsoon is underway, the monks sit for their Tipitaka examinations. The tests are designed to provide motivation to  the spiritual upliftment of Lord Buddha and one that involved recitation and written tests. The local people help the monks through charity and donations. 

• Where: Monasteries across Myanmar
• When: June

This is one of the oldest Myanmar festivals celebrated in order to celebrate the auspicious naval power of the kings. The Kandawgyi Lake in Burma is the hotbed for the festival where locals use  traditional boats to row and win races. The event is very popular in Myanmar as the opening and closing ceremonies are simply grand featuring the traditional royal barges and war boats. The festival area has shops that sell some of the best Burmese food. 

• Where: Kandawgyi Lake, Burma
• When: 21 June 2020

These diverse and famous festivals in Myanmar aren’t only celebrations, but they are a traditional way of giving an in-depth experience into its people’s culture, ideology, and way of life, to both foreign and local tourists. This is something you would not want to miss if you have the opportunity to visit Myanmar at the right time.

Still hungry for more? Here is the longer list of festivals in Myanmar for your reference.

Q. What is the Water Festival in Myanmar?

A. Thingyan Water Festival in Myanmar Burmese New Year Festival. It is a Buddhist festival that usually falls in the middle of April and is witnesses a 4-5-day celebration.

Here is everything about Thingyan Festival

Q. What are the traditional festivals in Myanmar?

A. Some of the traditional festivals in Myanmar are:

1. Thingyan Festival
2. Kachin Manaw Festival
3. Kyaikhtiyo Thadingyut Festival
4. Shittaung Pagoda Festival
5. Kyaukse Elephant Dance Festival

Q. How many festivals are there in Myanmar?

A. There is no fixed number of the exciting festivals that are celebrated in Myanmar.

Q. What is the culture of Myanmar?

A. The culture of Myanmar is majorly influenced by Buddhism.

Q. Which holidays do Myanmar celebrate?

A. There are a lot of holidays that Myanmar celebrates and the best ones are mentioned below!

1. Independence Day
2. Karen New Year
3. Full Moon Day of Tabaung

Q. What is the national dance of Myanmar?

A. Yein is the national dance of Myanmar.

Q. What is Myanmar famous for?

A. Myanmar is famous for local beer, tea shops, archeological sites, and stupas.