Thingyan

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Thingyan
Thingyan festival of Pagan Kingdom
Also called	Burmese New Year
Observed by	The people of Burma
Significance	Marks the Burmese New Year
Observances	Water Splashing games, merit-making activities, gadaw
Begins	13 April
Ends	16 April
Date	13–16 April
Frequency	annual
Related to	South and Southeast Asian solar New Year

Thingyan is the Myanmar New Year festival that usually occurs in middle of April. It is a Buddhist festival celebrated over a period of four to five days, culminating in the New Year. The dates of the Thingyan Festival are calculated according to the Burmese calendar. The dates of the festival are observed as public holidays throughout Myanmar, and are part of the summer holidays at the end of the school year. Water-throwing or dousing one another from any shape or form of vessel or device that delivers water is the distinguishing feature of this festival and may be done on the first four days of the festival. The New Year takes place at virtually the same time as the new year celebrations of many countries in South Asia like China (Dai People of Yunnan Province), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka.^[1]

Thingyan is comparable to other festivities in the region such as the Songkran in Laos, the Songkran in Thailand, the Cambodian New Year, the Sinhalese New Year and the festivals like Vaisakhi (Punjab), Puthandu (Tamil Nadu), Vishu (Kerala) and Bihu (Assam) in India.