comes with another lights festival named as Tazaungdine. Festival is more
elaborate with usual trimmings of music,
dances and show. It is rather convenient, so say fun-loving Burmese that the
paper lanterns and decorations are still in fairly good condition to be put up
again in three week's time. It is more or less a folk festival, probably
pre-Buddhist, so originally without any Buddhist significance. The festival is
mentioned in stories before Buddha's time as Kattika festival, in honour of the
guardian gods of the planets. It is said that certain planetary signs of the
zodiac are in the ascendant during the month and such that people's thoughts are
bent on mischief. Kings of the olden days decreed that feasts were to be held
and all kinds of merry-making were licensed, so that people's thoughts might be
channelled away from
serious mischief. Though this festival began in the time immemorial as a folk
ritual, it is regarded today as an especially Buddhist festival. The month is
the time for offering robes to the Monks. There is no restriction whatsoever
when robes should be offered but this month's offering has a special
significance. This is a special time, when, after long months of stay in the
monastery during the lent without overnight travel and seclusion, monks make
preparations to go on trips to see and pay respects to their teachers and
parents. Now the ban on travel has been lifted.
At such a time, many monks are in need of new robes. Offering of robes and other gifts,
offering are made not to any individual monk, but so that the needy one shall
get the robe and it does the Buddha teach a true spirit of offering. It is the
custom of the community to organize the offering of gifts, everyone contributing
in cash or in kind. Members of the same profession or people working in the same
office collect gifts for the monastery. Therefore, during this season, you will
see wooden triangular structures standing in market places or in roadside. Each
structure is hung with gifts, like sets of yellow robes, towels, napkins, cups
and such useful things big and small. Those structures hung with gifts are
called Padetha trees.
Tazaungmone in Myanmar Calendar is the month of November. November is the 8th month of Myanmar
calendar. It is a month at the end of the rainy season and at the outset of the
winter.
On the night of full moon day of Tazaungmone, 9,999 candles were lighted and offered to
Koehtatkyi Pagoda in SanChaung Township, Yangon Division.
On the auspicious night, you will get the number 9 which we called Koenawin and
the omen which means free of enemies and diseases, exactly, we started to light
of 9,999 candles and offered them to Buddha.
9, 999 candles were lit around the pagoda in groups and to get the best place,
they have to draw lots. At designated place the groups started to prepare for
the festivity about 2 PM.
At four the music artistes played the traditional harp and offer music to the
Buddha. In the evening at about 5 p.m., the grand ceremony commenced. All those
present first take the five precepts and say the prayers for offering the lights
unanimously and unison.
At the auspicious hour, the conch shell was blown and later the playing of the brass
gongs and bells could be heard simultaneously. Together with these auspicious
sounds fire works came out from the either side of the throne of the pagoda and
at the same time the lights of the candle came out as if a lighted blanket was
removed, it was a breath-taking site and all those present lit candles and
offered it to the great Buddha image. Fire-crackers are known as Ta Zaung in
olden days. And since it is placed atop the pole and lighted we called it
Tazaung Daing.
On the full moon day of Tazaungmone, all the stars completely shown out and at midnight on
that day, people usually eat vegetable curry and it is believed the bitter
Maezali bud salad, you will be free from all diseases. Streaming from that
belief, people usually prepare Maezali bud salads and share it with friends.
This is one of the treasured habits of Myanmar.
To prepare Maezali salad, first you will have to choose tender buds about 9
baskets, clean and rinse it and then boil it until it becomes soft and tender.
Then you will have to pound it until it becomes pasty. Then you mix the paste
with groundnut oil, pounded groundnut, fried onions, beans, fried sesame,
cabbage, green chilli and salt to taste. It is a vegetarian dish, which
Myanmar's adore.
By watching the 9,999 candles lighting festival at Koehtatkyi Pagoda and by enjoying the
Maezali salad, we all hope that you will share our fine tradition and culture,
which Myanmar preserve and adore to date. May you all share our merits of good
deeds.
Mathoe Robe Weaving Contest
The Month of Tazaungmone, Tazaungmone is a pleasant month Most of Myanmar festivals, such as
Kahtina Robes offering ceremony, Tazaungdine lighting festival and Mathoe Robe
weaving contests are held in the month of Tazaungmone.
Mathoe robes weaving ceremonies are being held at various prominent pagodas. Mathoe robes
weaving contests on the Great Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon are the most
significant in Myanmar.
Mathoe robe means the weaving of the robe must be completed and must be offered to the
Buddha before dawn. If the weaving of the robes is delayed and could not
complete the work, it becomes an unsuccessful work. Preparation for Mathoe Robes
weaving contests is taken place on the platform of the Shwedagon Pagoda in the
evening of the eve of the full moon day of Tazaungmone.
Nine teams of 60 Religious Associations of the Shwedagon Pagoda take part in the contests. The
weavers are from various parts of the country. The weaving women are kept ready
for weaving prior to the contest. The Mathoe Robes weaving contests open at 5
P.M. Contestants taking part in the contest make great endeavour in weaving the
robes. Enthusiasts encouraging the contestants include foreign tourists as well.
A contesting team has six members including the team leader. Members with stamina, energy and
thoroughness are selected for weaving the robes and the other members stand by
for assistance. Strength of communal work can be seen in this contest. A great
number of enthusiasts, who are taking part in lighting Festival, throng to view
and encourage Mathoe Robes weaving contests under the twilight.
This is wonderful that not only enthusiasts assisting with cash but also members
of country teams are encouraging the contestants. The contestants feel no
tiredness and energetically weave to complete Mathoe robes before dawn.
During the weaving contest, the contestants can rest thrice for 5 minutes at each time. The
weaving contests stop at 10 P.M. After that, the judges inspect and mark Mathoe
Robes' length and Quality. They also present prizes to the respective winners.
It depicts achievement of collective work.
After the contest, gluing, sewing, patterning with golden papers and gluing
golden lilies respectively are preparing in Mathoe robes. At the dawn of full
moon day of Tazaungmone, prize-winning team lead a procession of carrying the
Mathoe Robes to four Buddha Images at four archways of the Shwedagon Pagoda and
other prominent pagodas. Enthusiasts are alive with a teeming crowd till dawn.
In fact, Mathoe Robe weaving contest and offering ceremony portrays good deeds
of Myanmar and our traditional characteristics.
Shwe-zi-gone pagoda festival - held in around first week of November for 23
days in Bagan. Candlelights and fireworks are carried in procession before
offering to the pagoda.
Hot-Balloon flying festival - celebrate for 6 days around first week of
November in Taunggyi near Inle lake. Hot-air flying balloons are released day
and night, competing over their beauty and the altitude they gain. Daytime
flying is meant for competition of animal figures and night time is for
beautiful fire-works.
Pho-win-taung Ceremony - held around in mid of Nov for 3 days. The famous
hill-lock in western bank of Chindwin River near Monywa. Noted for a market
which is the one and only market where leaves, roots, fruits, barks, thorns,
tubers, stems of any herbal value from the western wildness of Chindwin River
are sold on a large scale. And also famous bronze utensils and articles for
religious activities are largely sold.
Tazaungmone
