Maha Thingyan, one of the traditional festivals, falls in mid-April yearly before Myanmar New Year Day.
Myanmar people, young and old, are eager to enjoy the water throwing festival by treating refreshment to each other as a lovely Myanmar tradition.
This year, the government allows the construction of pavilions with 20 by 20 feet areas made of coconut palm leaves as country style. In fact, fresh palms of coconut plant used in traditional pavilions can give shade to the people.
To safely enjoy the festival, the Ministry of Health and Sports issued health guidelines recently because events on infection of Covid-19 continue in Myanmar. The infection rate may rise at the crowds according to the nature of the virus. As such, all the people need to abide by preventive measures of the pandemic strictly.
The infection rate may rise at the crowds according to the nature of the virus. As such, all the people need to abide by preventive measures of the pandemic strictly.
Generally, those wishing to enjoy the water splashing festival need to wear surgical masks and gloves without fail and often wash their washes with water and soap or hand sanitizer/gel.
They must take enough distance to each other, especially six feet in the minimum of physical distancing at all sites during the festival.
Moreover, if they suffer from symptoms of Covid-19 such as ailing, squeezing, coughing and sudden loss of smell and taste, they need to inform nearby health care units about such symptoms and should take medical treatments in time.
At the festival, all the people should supply refreshments to each other through a take-away system as an act of performing meritorious deeds.
As an important thing, those enjoying the festival must take care of their surgical masks. It is because the wet surgical masks cannot prevent infection of the virus. Hence, they need to change the wet surgical masks with new ones.
Thingyan is Myanmar’s traditional festival. So, all the people have the rights to enjoy it happily. But, they all need to abide by health guidelines as part of taking care of infection of the pandemic, emphasize peace and tranquillity and preserve shame and fear of sinning in line with Myanmar’s cultural traditions while paying homage to venerable Buddhist monks and respects to the season citizens.
