A post from the archives
April
The meaning of Thingyan
The Burmese New Year is celebrated in the middle of April with the water-throwing festival known as "Thingyan". The festival's origins go back to the time of the Buddha and perhaps even before that. Thingyan (spelled saṁkran in Burmese) is derived from the Sanskrit word saṁkrānti, which is also the origin of the Thai word Songkran for the same new year festival in Thailand. Saṁkrānti means the day the sun moves from one rashi (constellation of the zodiac) to another. The...
Explore Myanmar History through a Timeline
About this project
The aim of this website is to promote interest in Myanmar's amazing history.Our hope is to challenge the often two-dimensional and uncritical views of history taught in Myanmar by reexamining key periods in the country's past. We would like as well to reveal the rich multicultural nature of Myanmar's history and its deep and ongoing ties to global events and trends.Finally, this website will also delve into the history of neighbouring regions, such as Yunnan in China and the Northeast in India, in the hope of introducing these places to a Myanmar audience.We believe that meeting Myanmar's many challenges today will require fresh imaginative thinking. This is turn will only be possible with a clear and critical understanding of Myanmar and global history.