Happy Myanmar Water Festival

TODAY begins our annual water festival and everybody eagerly awaited for this 4 days long festival to enjoy all over the country. No matter how old are you, it can give everybody happiness and unique experience. On the other hand, this water festival enable our people to relief from 40'C summer days. I believe our ancestors intentionally created this water festival in order to mitigate the burden of hotting weather. You don't need to be rich to fully participate this special occasion. What you need to do is just go out of the home and enjoy atmosphere. It's unavoidable from being flashed with water by passer by. There are so many decorated stages equipped with several water hoses as well as entertain participants with traditional dance and songs.

The company and government office used to sponsor their own stage and try to compete each other in term of quality and entertainment. They make sure that their stages can attract dwelling people as much as possible. It's really non-profit competition and just trying to fulfill their part as a citizen. We, Burmese, are generally shy and less exposure to social events like this. Since our religious teach us how to live properly within the standard rule so that everybody cannot be a burden to others as well as government. We are naturally quiet and less motivated people. But we all participate this festival with the unique ambition.

Unfortunately, last year water festival was spoiled by a bomb and it destroyed the beauty of our cultural festival. Since then people become more aware of this repeating and affecting them. It make people more concious in enjoying festive season that lead this festival less enjoyable. Moreover the government have tighten the security and it dramatically become additional burdens for the organizer of this festival. The new rule requires organizer who are going to construct their own stages have to install at least 5 CCTV at every single stage and put a telephone to communicate with relevant authorities once emergency come out. It is costly for a poor country like us and effectively bar potential organizer to participate especially for those who are not strong in finance.

On the other hand, those stage usually find some sponsor to boost financial strong and they increased the fees of advertising. As a result, they find it harder to get enough sponsor due to costly and there will be considerably less stage this year. I am not happy to learn that although I am unable to enjoy this because I am currently working in oversea. I want to see a successful festival and boast my collages from other countries. I always can't understand on the action of our own government. Why do they prevent people celebrating to enjoy the beginning of our new year? Why aren't the government supportive? I see Thailand government is doing all the way to advertise their version of water festival all over the world. They are trying to magnet world's tourist to come join their festival. If they are doing this, why not the same attitude for us?

It's embarrassing people only know Thailand's water festival rather than ours. At the worse case, they think we are copying the culture of Thai's festival. I am very much sure that we are a country of 1000 years history and longer background than Thailand. The different is we have different governments. The capable government knows what to be appreciated and what to be depreciated. I don't want to comment further as it's too pain to reveal our own weakness. This is just my personal feeling and wish our brand new democratic government able to encourage our endanger culture to its eternal.