lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

PLAN YOUR TRIP

MONTH BY MONTH

welcomes in Myanmar’s
New Year. See p 11 and p 343
for more details.

z

Dawei Thingyan
The male residents
of the tropical seaside town
of Dawei (Tavoy; p 110 ) don
huge, 13ft bamboo-frame
effi gies and dance down the
streets to the beat of the ka-
lakodaun, an Indian drum.

June

Pack your raincoat and a
sturdy umbrella, as this
month Myanmar is doused
by monsoon rains. Roads
can be flooded and flights
to coastal destinations
are sharply reduced.

z

Start of the
Buddhist Rains
Retreat
The full moon of Waso is
the beginning of the three-
month Buddhist Rains
Retreat (aka ‘Buddhist
Lent’), when young men
enter monasteries and no
marriages take place. Prior
to the full-moon day, a robe-
off ering ceremony to monks
is performed.

August

The monsoon is still in full
swing so be prepared for
damp days and transport
hitches.

z

Taungbyon e

Nat Pwe

Myanmar’s most famous an-

imist celebration is held at

Taungbyone, 13 miles north

of Mandalay (see p 210 ) and

attracts thousands of revel-

lers, many of them homo-

sexual or transgender.

September

The rainy season starts to

wind down. Watch out for

boat races in places such

as Inle Lake.

z

Thadingyut

Marking the end of

Buddhist Lent, this festival

of lights celebrates the de-

scent of Buddha from heav-

en. People place candles

in their windows and it’s a

popular time for weddings

and monk pilgrimages.

October

Rain still a possibility but

that means everything is

very green – making this a

great time to visit Bagan,

for example.

z

Ta z aungdaing

The full-moon

night of Tazaungmon

(which can also fall in No-

vember), known as Tazaung-

daing, is a second ‘festival of

lights’, particularly famous

for the fi re-balloon competi-

tions in Taunggyi (see p 189 ).

November

The start of the main

tourist season sees cooler

weather and still-lush

landscapes.

z

National Day

Held on the wan-

ing of Tazaungmon (usually

in late November), this pub-

lic holiday celebrates stu-

dent protests back in 1920,

seen as a crucial step on the

road to independence.

December

Peak travel season with

many visitors heading

to the country over the

Christmas–New Year

break. Christmas itself

is celebrated by many

Christian Kayin, Kachin

and Chin people.

z

Kayin New

Year

On the fi rst waxing moon of

Pyatho (which can also hap-

pen in January), the Kayin

New Year is considered a

national holiday, with Kayin

communities (clustered in

Insein near Yangon and

Hpa-An) wearing traditional

dress.

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