Fairs & Festivals :-
Myanmar is known for its Burmese people's festive spirit, and there are festivals held all over the world each year. One thing to keep in mind is that most festivals follow the Burmese calendar, so the dates may change from year to year. To separate festivals, obey this rule of thumb: If the holiday is a pagoda festival, expect a country fair-style celebration. Spirit rituals and holidays are more ritualistic, but there's plenty of food, music, and dance to go around.
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Kachin Manaw Festival: This well-known festival in Myanmar celebrates the new year, war victories, tribal reunions, and culture. Men and women dance around manaw poles that have been erected. This festival is one of Myanmar's most enjoyable and well-attended events. Attend this festival if you visit Myanmar in January.
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Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival: The Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival is one of Burma's most important Buddhist festivals. The festivities are spread out over a period of more than 20 days. Four of the five revered Buddha portraits are paraded across the lake in an elaborate, gilded barge pulled by hundreds of rowers. Rowing contests are held during the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival, which is a sight to behold.
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Thingyan Water Festival: The Thingyan Water Festival, Myanmar's most popular festival, takes place in honour of Myanmar's New Year. This festival is similar to Thailand's popular Songkran Festival, which lasts four days and involves people throwing or splashing water at one another. The festival is held across Yangon, but Mandalay has the distinction of being the most crowded city to celebrate it.
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Ananda Pagoda Festival: The festival has been and will continue to be one of Myanmar's most famous celebrations. You will see Buddhist social gathering practises and ceremonies, as well as the pomp of Buddhism. It's also the perfect time to sample the best of the local cuisine.
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Pyin Oo Lwin Balloon Festival: The Balloon Festival in Taunggyi, is popular for its day and night balloon competitions. Pagodas and animals such as elephants, dragons, and ducks are popular themes for day balloons. The balloons are commonly shaped like rugby balls at night, large elongated paper balls with hundreds of tiny lighted multi colored paper lanterns hanging around their edges. The night balloons would be strung together with fireworks and fire sticks, which would be set off in mid-air to create a dazzling display. The ceremony is followed by musicians who perform and dance to lively traditional Shan music, and the celebrations continue until dawn in the festival tents.
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Kyaukse Elephant Dance Festival: Kyaukse is about 44 kilometres from Mandalay, and people from upper Myanmar usually visit Kyaukse during the festival in October to see the elephant dance. Typically, two people join the paper-elephant to dance. For the dance to be effective, these dancers must be totally in sync when it comes to rhythm and timing. The Shwe Tha Lyaung Pagoda in Kyaukse is honoured with this festival.
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Naga New Year Festival: Naga New Year is one of Myanmar's most well-known festivals, and the residents of Kham-Ti village celebrate it lavishly. The Naga subtribes come together to celebrate the New Year with competitions and traditional activities. The festival's main attractions are colourful costumes, grilled meat and rice, food, and ancient tribal dances.
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Thadingyut Festival Of Lights: The Thadingyut Festival of Lights in Myanmar commemorates the arrival of winter and symbolises Buddha's return to paradise from the mortal realm. You may admire the various lightings or even make your own and donate it to one of the pagodas. The uncountable number of lanterns or lights that can be seen in the sky is the most well-known feature of the Thadingyut Festival in Myanmar.
Cuisine :-
Burma's cuisine is dominated by seafood, thanks to its extensive coastline and proximity to the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. This is the land of dried prawns and fish sauce. Since the food is heavily reliant on locally grown produce, seasonal variations are popular, and traditional dishes often require a delicate balance of texture as well as flavour.
Myanmarese cuisine, though inspired by the culinary practises of neighbouring India and China, retains a distinctive and flamboyant character, much like the country's Buddhist architecture. Rice is the country's staple and main cash crop, so wherever you go in Myanmar, you'll find it in your meals. Complementary dishes are served to add variety and flavour.
Famous and commonly eaten dishes are:
Mohinga: Rice vermicelli in a fish-based broth with onions, garlic, ginger, and lemon grass – topped with sliced banana blossom, boiled eggs, and fritters – is the unofficial national dish (akyaw).
Thoke: When it comes to salads, or thoke, Myanmar’s chefs are especially inventive. Raw vegetables are smothered in dried shrimp paste after being dressed in salty fish or soy sauce. Tamarind is used to add sourness to the juice, which is then soaked up by a mixture of spicy peanuts, roasted chickpea powder, sesame seeds, and soya beans, as well as one or more oils. Crisp fried onions and garlic, roasted chilli, and herbs like mint, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, and coriander make up the final garnish.
Myanmar curry is distinct from its regional counterparts in that the sauce is made from a tomato base combined with oil, garlic, and other spices. The curry is served in a small bowl alongside up to a dozen other bowls containing vegetables salads, fish paste, boiled vegetables, pickled vegetables, and other products. When we eat, a transparent broth is served on the side to cleanse the palate.
One can find several variants of noodles here. Kyauk shwe, a Thai-inspired noodle dish, consists of chicken simmered in a spicy coconut milk gravy with onion, garlic, ginger, and chilli. This fragrant sauce is poured over egg noodles and topped with boiled egg slices, crispy-fried onions, chilli flakes, fresh coriander, and a wedge of sour lime. Mandalay ‘Mishee’ is a staple in the country's countless sidewalk cafés. It's made with rice noodles and deep-fried pork and beancurd puffs, as well as a pickle made from fermented mustard greens and crunchy bean sprouts. Finally, a dollop of garlic and chilli sauce, as well as a sprinkle of chopped spring onions for texture, are added.
Don't worry if you have a sweet tooth! Myanmarese people also enjoy sugary treats. Ice cream, as well as small cakes made of semolina, coconut, and/or bananas, can be found almost anywhere.