Shan in Chiang Mai Celebrate New Year

About 4,000 ethnic Shan celebrated New Year at Chiang Mai’s Wat Ku Tao Buddhist temple on Monday night.

Ying Harn Sah, the secretary of the Tai Literature and Culture Society and one of the organizers of the festival, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the three-day celebration helps preserve Shan culture and raises awareness about the people’s history and literature.

Slide Show (View)

“Many Shan are always busy with their work here,” she said. “It is difficult to organize them all in one place. The festival is a chance to get them all together and open their eyes about the value of their culture.”

The festival was organized by the Tai Literature and Culture Society, which is based in Chiang Mai, and has taken place annually since 1999.

The northern Thai city of Chiang Mai has a large Shan community, most of whom work on construction sites and in domestic service.

The festival begins on the first lunar month of the Shan calendar and includes traditional dances, songs and fireworks displays.

The Tai Literature and Culture Society said the number of participants has increased this year. Last year, an estimated 2,000 people attended.

The festival also features a merit-making ceremony involving donations of food to the Wa Kau Tao monks, who bless the participants, wishing them luck in the year ahead. Typical offerings are rice with fish and root vegetables, wrapped in banana leaves.

The ceremony marks one of two New Year festivals celebrated by the Shan. The other is a traditional water festival in April, which has a more religious significance.